Tony Smith Headshot

Tony Smith

Associate Professor

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts

585-475-6532
Office Location

Tony Smith

Associate Professor

Department of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts

Education

BA, MA, Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany

Bio

Professor Smith joined the department in the fall of 2010. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany where he was a Patricia Roberts Harris Fellow. His published research, often in collaboration with students, focuses on the advancement of an international and cross-cultural understanding of crime and criminal justice, the impact of firearms, and empirical tests of control and general strain theories. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations (HEUNI), the Institute for Forensic Studies at the University of Malta, and numerous law enforcement agencies and teaches a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses.

585-475-6532

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Smith, Tony R., et al. "Evaluating Self-Control Among the Deaf Community." International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. (2021): OnlineFirst. Print.
Smith, Tony R., et al. "An Integrative Assessment of Self-Control, Deviant Friendships, and Fraudulent Behavior." American Journal of Criminal Justice. (2021): OnlineFirst. Print.

Currently Teaching

CRIM-100
3 Credits
This seminar acquaints students with key resources for understanding and conducting criminal justice research. The course involves extensive reading, writing, and discussion. It covers the principles of the criminal justice system including the relationship between system components, their effectiveness, and theories of operation and reform. Consideration is also given to specific problems within the branches of the criminal justice system.
CRIM-110
3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to criminal justice. One of the primary goals of this course is to provide a general understanding of how the criminal justice system responds to crime in society. The main component parts of the criminal justice system (i.e., police, courts, and corrections) will be examined with a particular emphasis on developing an understanding of the behavior and interactions among the main actors in the criminal justice system. To accomplish this goal, we will examine how criminal cases are processed in the criminal justice system. We will also consider how external forces, such as political decisions, public opinion, and the media influence criminal justice decision-making. Students will also formulate, argue, and evaluate ethical perspectives regarding criminal justice systems, individual-level decisions, and recognize relationships with other ethical problems in society. Finally, throughout the course we will emphasize how the societal response to crime has evolved over time.
CRIM-350
3 Credits
A comprehensive survey of historical and contemporary theories of the causes of crime. Included are theories that derive from biological, psychological, sociological, geographic, economic, and political perspectives. Development of criminological theory reviewed; fundamental distinctions between classical and positivist theories and between theories of crime and criminality discussed.
CRIM-489
3 Credits
Focuses on contemporary issues and topics not otherwise distinctly incorporated in established criminal justice courses. Concentrates on student discussion and interaction surrounding required readings on topics such as crime prevention and issues in the prosecution/court system. Recent examples include cyberlaw, prisoner re-entry restorative justice, wrongful convictions, crime mapping, crime analysis, non-traditional courts, legal controversies in the law, substance abuse, and legal research.
CRIM-701
3 Credits
The purpose of this course is to provide students with training in quantitative analysis of social science data. Students will develop a conceptual understanding of techniques, the ability to recognize the appropriate selection of techniques, and the ability to use those statistical measures and interpret their results. Students will gain experience with inferential statistics through the level of commonly used multivariate analyses. The prerequisite for this course will be a strong undergraduate foundation in statistical analysis. With the consent of their adviser and the graduate coordinator, qualified students may substitute more specialized statistics courses or courses in such areas as geographical information systems (GIS).
CRIM-775
3 Credits
The criminal justice capstone involves guided research on a topic approved by the instructor. The capstone requires students to develop, design and complete an original research project. Satisfactory completion involves the execution of a substantial research paper and includes a public oral presentation.