Christopher Schreck Headshot

Christopher Schreck

Department Chair

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts

585-475-2462
Office Location

Christopher Schreck

Department Chair

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts

Education

BA, University of Florida; MA, University of Arizona; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Bio

Professor Schreck has been a member of the criminal justice faculty at RIT since 2004. His research focuses on explanations of crime, with a particular interest in crime target decision-making and precautionary behavior. Recent scholarship on these topics appear in the Advances in Criminological Theory series, the British Journal of Criminology, the Annual Review of Criminology, and Justice Evaluation Journal. He is the past editor of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education and the Journal of Crime and Justice. Dr. Schreck is the 2021 recipient of the Bruce Smith Sr. Award, given by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in recognition of outstanding contributions to research.

585-475-2462

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Berg, Mark T. and Christopher J. Schreck. "The Meaning of the Victim–Offender Overlap for Criminological Theory and Crime Prevention Policy." Annual Review of Criminology 5. (2022): 277-297. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., Mark T. Berg, and Ethan M. Rogers. "Predicting the Probability of Violence in Actor–Target Relational Dyads: Self-Control and Interpersonal Provocations as Mutual Properties." British Journal of Criminology 61. 5 (2021): 1282-1299. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "The Value of Understanding the Human Side of Precautionary Behavior for Criminology and Crime Control Policy: The 2021 Bruce Smith Sr. Award Address to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences." Justice Evaluation Journal 4. 2 (2021): 163*175. Print.
Duda-Banwar, Janelle, Irshad Altheimer, and Christopher J. Schreck. "The Impact of Covid-19 on Community-Based Violence Interventions." American Journal of Criminal Justice 45. (2020): 810-819. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., et al. "That door you kicked in was locked for your protection, not mine: Developing and testing competing theoretical models of crime prevention behavior." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 55. (2018): 316-345. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., et al. "Does the Nature of the Victimization-Offending Association Fluctuate over the Life Course? An Examination of Adolescence into Early Adulthood." Crime & Delinquency 63. (2017): 786-813. Print.
Ousey, Graham C., Pamela Wilcox, and Christopher J. Schreck. "Violent Victimization, Confluence of Risk and the Nature of Criminal Behavior: Testing Main and Interactive Effects from Agnew’s Extension of General Strain Theory." Journal of Criminal Justice 43. (2015): 164-`73. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., et al. "An Examination of Peer Network Structure and Target Suitability Risk Factors for Sexual Victimization of Adolescent Females." Women and Criminal Justice 24. (2014): 62-81. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., et al. "Examining What Makes Violent Crime Victims Unique: Extending Statistical Methods for Studying Specialization to the Analysis of Crime Victims." Journal of Quantitative Criminology 28. 4 (2013): 651-671. Print.
Moon, Byongook, John D. McCluskey, and Christopher Schreck. "School Bullying and Victimization." Journal of Criminology. (2013): 1-2. Print.
Schreck, Christoper. "Examining What Makes Victim of Violence Unique: Extending Statistical Methods for Studying Specialization to the Analysis of Crime Victims." Journal of Quantitative Criminology 28. (2012): 651-671. Print.
Schreck, Christoper. "The Victim-Offender Overlap in Context: Examining the Role of Neighborhood Context." Criminology 50. (2012): 359-390. Print.
Schreck, Christoper. "The Dark Side of the Ivory Tower: Campus Crime as a Social Problem, authored by John J. Sloan III and Bonnie S. Fisher." Criminal Justice Review 37. (2012): 143-145. Print.
McGloin, Jean Marie, et al. "Predicting the Violent Offender: The Discriminant Validity of the Subculture of Violence." Criminology 49. 3 (2011): 767-794. Print.
Book Chapter
Schreck, Christopher J. and Mark T. Berg. "What ideas of victimization and vulnerability mean for criminological theory: A logical appraisal." Advances in Criminological Theory: Revitalizing Victimization Theory. New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. 15-55. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "Self-Control Theory." Enyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice. Ed. Christopher J. Schreck. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017. 100-124. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "Cycle of Juvenile Justice." Enyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice. Ed. Christopher J. Schreck. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017. 100-124. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "Routine Activity Theory." Encyclopedia of Criminology. Ed. Brent Teasdale and Mindy Bradley. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2016. 100-124. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "Juvenile Victimization." Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Ed. G. Bruinsma and D. Weisburd. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2014. 2785-2793. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. "Specialization and Crime." Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Ed. G. Bruinsma and D. Weisburd. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag, 2014. 3315-3321. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J. and Eric A. Stewart. "The Victim-Offender Overlap and its Implications for Juvenile Justice." The Handbook of Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice. Ed. Barry C. Feld and Donna M. Bishop. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 47-70. Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Schreck, Christopher J. "A General Theory of Precautionary Behavior against Crime: Implications for Criminology and Crime Policy: The 2021 Bruce Smith Sr. Award Address." Annual meeting. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Online, N/A. 16 Apr. 2021. Address.
Schreck, Christopher. "Understanding What Makes Victims of Violence Unique." Understanding What Makes Victims of Violence Unique. Northeastern University, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Boston, MA. 19 Oct. 2012. Conference Presentation.
Full Length Book
Schreck, Christopher J. Enyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017. Print.
Schreck, Christopher J., et al. Criminological Theories: A Brief Introduction. 4 ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2014. Print.
Invited Article/Publication
Schreck, Christopher J., J. Mitchell Miller, and Holly Ventura Miller. "A Process and Impact Evaluation of the YAP Program." Submitted to the University of Texas at San Antonio. (2014). Print.
Journal Editor
Schreck, Christopher J., ed. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor and Francis, 2011. Print.
Published Book
Miller, J. Mitchell, Christopher J. Schreck, and Richard Tewksbury. Criminological Theories: A Brief Introduction. 3rd Ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2010. Print.
Published Article
Schreck, Christopher J. “Correlates of Victimization.” Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. (2010): 158-164. Print.
Formal Presentation
Berg, Mark, Eric A. Stewart, and Christopher J. Schreck. “Spatial Linkages of Violent Crimes.” Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November, 2010. Presentation.
Gibson, Chris L., Christopher J. Schreck, and Eric A. Stewart.“Neighborhoods, Traits, and Violent Victimization: A Longitudinal Study of Chicago Youth.” Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November, 2010.Presentation.
Schreck,Christopher J. “The Victim-Offender Overlap.” Cincinnati, OH. March, 2010. Presentation.
Schreck,Christopher J. “The Victim-Offender Overlap.” Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society Guest Speaker Series. San Antonio, TX. March, 2010. Presentation.

Currently Teaching

CRIM-230
3 Credits
This course examines the concepts, theories and environmental influences of juvenile offenders, the impact of the judicial system, control and corrections on juvenile justice. The course also examines the role of forces in the system including police, courts, community resources, and treatment.
CRIM-300
3 Credits
This course is designed to provide students with a foundation in social science research methods. Through lecture, discussion and activities associated with a research project, emphasis is placed on the creation of null hypotheses, identification of the relationships among variables, establishment models, and analysis of data using both parametric and non-parametric statistics. Required course for criminal justice majors.
CRIM-400
3 Credits
This course is designed to provide students with a foundation in social science research methods. Through lecture, discussion, and activities associated with a research proposal, the different methods of conducting research are presented. Stress is on issues of deducting hypotheses from theoretical frameworks, variable construction, experimental design, sampling methodology, and the techniques and methods of data collection. Students will formulate a written research proposal that details a research question and the research question and the research design appropriate for addressing that question.
CRIM-550
3 - 6 Credits
Internship practicum for all criminal justice students. Gives the student first-hand experience in the field of criminal justice in an appropriate organization that meets the needs of the student's career objectives. Students are closely supervised at selected organizations, developing their preprofessional skills while learning the organization's programs and methods.

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