Education
PhD, Sociology: The University of Akron
MS, Criminal Justice: The University of Cincinnati
BS, Psychology: Lake Superior State University
BS, Criminal Justice: Lake Superior State University
Biography
Kristin Santos, PhD, earned two bachelor's of science degrees (criminal justice and psychology) from Lake Superior State University. She earned her Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati, and then went on to the University of Akron for her PhD in sociology with criminology and mental illness concentrations.
An assistant professor in the criminal justice program, Santos currently teaches corrections; research methods; deviance; criminology; victimology; media and crime; and mental illness and crime. Her areas of research interest include criminology, domestic violence, power differentials related to violence, stalking, sexual assault, mental illness and deviance.
Santos enjoys combining both academic theory and practical application in her courses. Her courses are challenging, but fair, and engage critical thinking skills from students by encouraging comprehension of the underlying theories and the subsequent application to real-world situations/examples.
Santos also has practical experience in corrections. She worked as a juvenile corrections officer with minimum to closed (maximum) security youth, often on sex offender and treatment units, as well as on general population units. She has also worked in a step-down crisis home for the mentally ill, often with people just released from jails and hospitals with mental health units, who need additional monitoring and structure before they can be fully released back into society.
At home, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, daughter and son. She enjoys creating art, and likes to paint and draw sci-fi/fantasy/mythological subjects and scenes. She also enjoys reading, both academic and non-academic books, but especially paranormal romance novels - life’s fairy tales for adults.
View Kristin Santo's curriculum vitae