Shaun Thomas
Shaun A. Thomas (sathomas@ualr.edu) is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. He joined the department in the Fall of 2009. He received his doctoral degree in Sociology from Louisiana State University in 2009. His dissertation focused on variations in the relative prevalence of interracial violence across U.S. Counties.
The central question guiding his research is: how do structural and cultural aspects of communities affect crime, violence, social control, and community well being. Specifically, his research interests involve exploring how the structural and cultural context of communities impact variation in both the level and nature of deviant adaptations. His current research projects involve merge county level data with incident-level data from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The multi-level nature of this research allows him to highlight the unique explanatory power of theoretically important predictors of crime above and beyond the characteristics of the incident and the demographic characteristics of those involved in the event. Rather than focusing strictly on variations in levels of crime, he directs much of his attention toward variations in the nature of violence across communities. The areas on which he is currently concentrating include: race and ethnic specific victimization patterns, victim-offender relationship patterns, use and choice of weapon, extent of victim injury, and offender motivation. In predicting variations in the nature and outcome of violent incidents, he explores the role of individual level attributes of victims and offenders as well as the contextual environment in which criminal incidents occur (i.e. concentrated disadvantage, inequality, residential segregation, policing strategies, and, most importantly, civic engagement and civically engaged community organizations).
Research and Teaching Interests:
Quantitative methods, macro criminology, the community and cultural context of crime, the nature of crime, urban violence, social control, fear of crime, homicide studies, rural crime, institutional attachment, civic engagement, race / ethnicity and crime, inequality and crime, and victimology.
Education:
2009 PhD in Sociology with a focus in Criminology, Louisiana State University.
Dissertation Title: “Beyond Crime Quantities: A Multilevel Analysis of the Relative Prevalence of Interracial Violence”
2006 M.A., Sociology, Louisiana State University (4.0 G.P.A)
Thesis Title: “An Analysis of the Efficacy of Community Oriented Policing in Reducing Violent Crime in Large Cities.”
2002 B.A., Sociology (Magna Cum Laude), The University of Akron.
Select Publications:
Lee, Mathew R., Shaun A. Thomas and Graham C. Ousey. Forthcoming “Structural versus Cultural Sources of Black Homicide in Rural Communities.” Deviant Behavior.
Thomas, Shaun A. Forthcoming “Community Oriented Policing and Lethal Violence: A Macro Level Analysis.” The International Journal of Crime, Law, and Criminal Justice.
Lee, Matthew R., Timothy C. Hayes, and Shaun A. Thomas. 2008. “Regional Variation in the Effects of Structural Factors on Violence in Nonmetropolitan Areas.” The Social Science Journal 45(1):76-94.
Thomas, Shaun A. 2007 “Lies, Damn Lies and Rumors: An Analysis of Collective Efficacy, Rumors, and Fear in the Wake of Katrina” Sociological Spectrum 27(6):679-703.
Lee, Matthew R., William B. Bankston, Timothy C. Hayes, and Shaun A. Thomas. 2007. “Re-Visiting the Southern Culture of Violence Thesis.” The Sociological Quarterly 48(2):253-275.