Dr. Michael R. Cavanaugh, Jr. currently serves as Associate Professor and Director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a role he assumed in July 2024. Before joining the University of Arkansas, Dr. Cavanaugh spent 12 years at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), where he held a variety of academic and administrative roles, including Associate Professor, Director of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program, and Assistant Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice & Social Work.
Dr. Cavanaugh earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University in 2012, where his dissertation examined the complex dynamics of law enforcement presence and searches in public schools. His academic foundation also includes a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Biology, from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
As researcher and scholar, Dr. Cavanaugh has published extensively in top-tier journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. His research explores critical areas such as criminal law, police use of force, civil liability under Section 1983, and recidivism. He is also the co-author of two major books: The Legal Rights of the Convicted (2nd ed.) and Understanding Juvenile Justice and Delinquency. Recently, his work has focused on police data transparency, the influence of service-learning on criminal justice education, and offender reentry and reintegration.
Dr. Cavanaugh has presented his research at more than 30 national and international conferences, including the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice. His expertise has earned academic awards, such as the SWACJ Felix Fabian Founder’s Award (2024), the UHD Excellence in Service Award (2021), and the Sage Junior Faculty Professional Development Teaching Award (2016).
In addition to his academic and professional accomplishments, Dr. Cavanaugh is committed to his family. Born as the 7th of 8 children to Michael Sr. and Alice, he now resides in the Little Rock metro area with his wife Sarah and their three children: Michael III, Brees, and Cayden.
Dr. Cavanaugh can be reached via email at mcavanaugh@ualr.edu or 501-916-6642.
For Dr. Cavanaugh’s Vita, please click here.
