UA Little Rock Professor Explores Decision-Making in Criminal Justice
Dr. Suzanne Coble, an assistant professor of criminal justice at UA Little Rock, is making significant strides in research on decision-making within the criminal justice system.
Since joining the university in August 2022, Coble has had five articles published or accepted for publication, examining topics such as children’s testimony in court, the use of artificial intelligence in criminal justice education, police decision-making in sexual violence cases, and how attorneys strategically question witnesses.
“It’s been a productive year,” Coble said. “A good bit of my research focuses on child sexual assault cases, particularly the questioning techniques attorneys use to establish or discredit credibility in testimony. This research is crucial in understanding how legal actors approach these cases and how misconceptions about sexual violence influence decision-making.”
Her article in the journal Justice Quarterly, based on her dissertation, examines how a victim’s race might influence law enforcement’s decision to arrest suspects. Another recent publication in Psychology, Public Policy, and Law categorizes how prosecutors and defense attorneys use memory-related questions strategically in child sexual abuse trials.
“The article from my dissertation is one of my favorites because it represents some of my first independent research,” Coble said. “But my most recent article on memory questioning in child sexual abuse cases is also fascinating because it sheds light on how legal strategies shape case outcomes.”
Beyond her published work, Coble is currently engaged in two major research projects. One study involves a randomized vignette design assessing how different questioning techniques impact jury verdicts in child sexual abuse cases.
The second project, in collaboration with UA Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law, involves interviewing district court judges to understand their perceptions of professionalism, equity, and fairness within Arkansas district courts.
Coble brings her research into the classroom, encouraging students to engage with the legal system through interactive assignments. In her Introduction to Criminal Justice course, students observe real court proceedings and participate in hands-on activities designed to help them understand the complexities of the justice system.
“Teaching is incredibly rewarding,” Coble said. “I love seeing students engage with real-world applications of criminal justice concepts. It’s exciting to create assignments that challenge them to think about aspects of the system they hadn’t considered before.”