Francesca Spina
Chair and Associate Professor

Biography

Dr. Francesca Spina is Chair and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at 黑料网. She brings over a decade of teaching, research, and leadership experience to the department, with a focus on fostering inclusive, applied, and interdisciplinary learning environments. Her areas of expertise include environmental justice, gender and incarceration, race and ethnicity in crime data, and criminal justice policy.

Dr. Spina is the author or editor of several books and has published widely in academic journals. She is passionate about bridging scholarship and practice, and her work often examines how systems of power and inequality shape criminal justice outcomes. In addition to her academic contributions, she has served on statewide policy commissions and continues to advise organizations on topics related to corrections, equity, and public safety. At 黑料网, she is committed to supporting students' academic growth and professional success in the field of criminal justice.

Education

  • Ph.D., Criminal Justice and Criminology, University of Massachusetts Lowell

  • M.A., Criminal Justice, University of Massachusetts Lowell

  • B.A., Economics, Trinity College, CT

Courses Taught

  • Introduction to Criminal Justice

  • Theories of Crime

  • Introduction to Corrections

  • Research Methods in Criminal Justice

  • Women in the Criminal Justice System

  • Race and Ethnicity in the Criminal Justice System

Publications

Siegel, L., & Spina, F. (under contract). Advanced Criminological Theory. Cognella: Solana Beach, CA.

Spina, F. (under contract). Women and Incarceration: Global Lives in Focus. Bloomsbury: Santa Barbara, CA.

Spina, F. (forthcoming 2025). The Routledge Companion to Gender and Crime. Ed. by Francesca Spina. Abingdon Oxon: Routledge.

Accordino, M., & Spina, F. (forthcoming 2025). 鈥淎 Program Evaluation of a Residential Treatment Facility for Adolescent Boys,鈥 in The Routledge Companion to Gender and Crime. Abingdon Oxon: Routledge.

Spina, F. (2025). 鈥淟egal Challenges to Using Criminal Justice Technology: Protecting Civil Rights as Technology Advances,鈥 in Criminal Justice Technology in the 21st Century (4th ed). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publishing.

Sturgeon, W.P., & Spina, F. (2023). Think Like a Terrorist to Combat Terrorism and Radicalization in Prison. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

McCormack, P., Clarke K., Walfield, S., & Spina, F. (2023). 鈥淭he (Mis)measure of Race and Ethnicity in Crime Data,鈥 in Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 21(3).

Spina, F. (2023). 鈥淭he Importance of Mindfulness Meditation in Correctional Settings,鈥 in Journal of Correctional Education 74(2).

Accordino, M., Spina, F., & Clark, D. (2023). 鈥淚mproving Residential Treatment Programs for Adjudicated Males with Disabilities,鈥 in Corrections and Disability. Boston, MA: Aspen Publishing.

Fullmer, L., Greco, C., & Spina, F. (2023). 鈥淚ntroduction,鈥 in Corrections and Disability. Boston, MA: Aspen Publishing.

Spina, F. (2021). 鈥淢arital Violence,鈥 in Sexual Harassment and Misconduct: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Spina, F. (2021). 鈥淣ational Sex Assault Awareness and Prevention Month,鈥 in Sexual Harassment and Misconduct: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Clericuzio, A., Spina, F., & Rosati, A. (2020). 鈥淚taly,鈥 in Gender and Identity around the World. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Spina, F. (2020). 鈥淕ender and Crime.鈥 Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Spina, F. (2019). 鈥淔emales and Law School,鈥 in The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Spina, F. (2019). 鈥淢ary Kay Letourneau,鈥 in The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Boyd, L.M., & Spina, F. (2019). Massachusetts鈥檚 Criminal Justice System. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Spina, F., McCormack, P., Clarke, K., & Walfield, S. (2019). 鈥淓xploring how Latino Political Representation Influences Environmental Enforcement,鈥 in Sociological Perspectives, 62(3).

Connor, D., & Spina, F. (2018). 鈥淧rotective Pairings in Men鈥檚 Prisons,鈥 in American Prisons and Jails: An Encyclopedia of Controversies and Trends. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

McCormack, P., & Spina, F. (2017). 鈥淛ustice Francis X. Spina鈥 in Trends in the Judiciary: Interviews with Judges from Around the Globe, Vol. 3. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Spina, F. (2017). 鈥淎madou Diallo,鈥 in The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO/Greenwood/Praeger.

Spina, F. (2017). 鈥淰ariations in Law Enforcement Attitudes about Gun Control Laws,鈥 in The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Greenwood/Praeger.

Spina, F. (2015). 鈥淓nvironmental Justice and Patterns of State Inspections鈥 in Social Science Quarterly, 96(2).

Professional Service

  • Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
  • American Society of Criminology

 

Headshot of Francesca Spina.