The program's faculty is comprised of outstanding scholars who are have experience working in corrections, courts, community based corrections, criminal justice planning, and law enforcement. One faculty member has received the outstanding teaching award in the School of Arts and Sciences. All have published in their areas of expertise. All tenure-track faculty have doctorates in Criminology or Criminal Justice. We know of no other private liberal arts University that can make that claim.
Talia Harmon, Ph.D.
Dr. Talia Harmon joined the faculty in the fall, 1999. She attended the State University of New York at Albany where she received her undergraduate degree (B.A.) as well as her graduate degrees (Masters and Ph.D.). Dr. Harmon’s very timely dissertation entitled "Overturned Convictions in Capital Cases: A Comparison Between Inmates Released From Death Row Because of Doubts About Their Guilt and Those Who Were Executed." has resulted in several publications in various journals including Justice Quarterly and Criminal Justice Policy Review. Additionally, she has written articles that address issues involving racial discrimination in death penalty cases, the death qualification process, and violence. Dr. Harmon is responsible for teaching the following courses at NU: Criminal Procedural Law, Substantive Criminal Law, Principles of Justice, Capital Punishment, Statistics, and Research Thesis. Dr. Harmon was honored in 2004 by the College of Arts and Sciences by being presented the Excellence in Teaching Award. She is currently a member of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences. Her main research interests involve capital punishment and issues relating to innocence, death qualification, racial discrimination, and competency for execution. Dr. Harmon is currently the Director of the Graduate Program in Criminal justice Administration.
Dr. Timothy Ireland received his B.A. in English Literature from St. Bonaventure University in 1981, M.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 1987, and Ph.D. from the School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, in 1996. In 1996, Dr. Ireland received an award from the Journal of Studies on Alcohol for outstanding scholarship on the long-term consequences of child victimization, and in 1997 he received an award for his dissertation. Dr. Ireland has taught at Niagara University since 1996. Since arriving at Niagara, Dr. Ireland has been responsible for several different courses. Currently, during the Fall semester, he teaches Introduction to Criminal Justice and Theories of Crime (graduate). In the Spring semester, he teaches Criminology (undergraduate) and Introduction to Statistics (graduate). Dr. Ireland’s research interests include the causes of violence, the consequences of child abuse and neglect, and the development of theories that attempt to explain crime and delinquency. He is currently involved in research on violence in public housing, childhood victimization, and building and testing theories of crime. In the Spring 2000 Dr. Ireland was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Yvonne Isom received her BA in Psychology in 1999 and her MS in Criminal Justice Administration in 2001 from Niagara University. Prior to teaching at Niagara, Professor Isom was on the criminal justice faculty at State University of New York at Buffalo College. She is currently teaching Juvenile Justice, Principles of Justice, and Gender in the Criminal Justice System. Professor Isom’s area of interest is women in prison, more specifically, the impact of maternal incarceration on the family structure and the medical and rehabilitative policies for women in prison. Professor Isom has three children, Ryan, Minna, and Derek.
Dr. Craig Rivera joined the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice in the Fall of 2002. He received his B.S. degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State University in 1994, M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany in 1996, and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, also from the University at Albany, in 2002. Dr. Rivera is currently teaching Introduction to Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, and Criminal Justice Management (graduate). He will also be teaching Research Thesis and a graduate class on restorative justice. Dr. Rivera’s research interests include the causes and consequences of different developmental patterns of crime and delinquency, methodological issues in the measurement and prediction of homicide rates, and several issues related to probation management and supervision style. He is currently involved in research on the consequences of adolescent delinquency and drug use, predictors of county-level homicide rates, and the relationship between the supervision style of probation officers and the environment in which they work. Dr. Rivera has co-authored articles in professional journals including Justice Quarterly, Social Forces, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Corrections Management Quarterly. He is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
Dr. Schupp earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University in 1993. He received his M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany—SUNY in 1994 where he earned his Ph.D. in 2004. He teaches undergraduate courses in Principles of Justice, Imprisonment and Corrections, as well as Field Experience in Criminal Justice. In the graduate program he teaches the introductory course System-Wide Issues in Criminal Justice, the Seminar on Criminal Justice Ethics, and the Seminar on Organizational and White Collar Crime. His scholarly interests include the philosophical justifications for criminal punishment, the political economy of imprisonment, criminal justice ethics, and corporate and elite crime and deviance. He is a member of Amnesty International, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the American Society of Criminology’s Critical Criminology Section. He also serves as the Department’s Internship Director.
Dr. David Taylor joinied the faculty in Fall, 1999. Dr. Taylor received his B.A. in Psychology from Castleton State College in 1990 and an M.A. in Criminal Justice from Indiana University in 1992. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine in 1999. He most recently taught at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Taylor has seven years combined work experience in law enforcement and community corrections. At NU, he currently teaches Introduction to Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Intimate Violence, Criminal Justice Administration and Management (Graduate), and Women and Minorities (Graduate). He has published in the area of corrections and is a manuscript reviewer for several journals. Dr. Taylor is currently working on a co-authored book on policing with Steve Cooper. His research interests include violence and the use of public and private urban space. Dr. Taylor is co-advisor of the Criminal Justice Association and a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
Dr. Talia Harmon joined the faculty in the fall, 1999. She attended the State University of New York at Albany where she received her undergraduate degree (B.A.) as well as her graduate degrees (Masters and Ph.D.). Dr. Harmon’s very timely dissertation entitled "Overturned Convictions in Capital Cases: A Comparison Between Inmates Released From Death Row Because of Doubts About Their Guilt and Those Who Were Executed." has resulted in several publications in various journals including Justice Quarterly and Criminal Justice Policy Review. Additionally, she has written articles that address issues involving 
Dr. Timothy Ireland received his B.A. in English Literature from St. Bonaventure University in 1981, M.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 1987, and Ph.D. from the School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, in 1996. In 1996, Dr. Ireland received an award from the Journal of Studies on Alcohol for outstanding scholarship on the long-term consequences of child victimization, and in 1997 he received an award for his dissertation. Dr. Ireland has taught at Niagara University since 1996. Since arriving at Niagara, Dr. Ireland has been responsible for several different courses. Currently, during the Fall semester, he teaches Introduction to Criminal Justice and Theories of Crime (graduate). In the Spring semester, he teaches Criminology (undergraduate) and Introduction to Statistics (graduate). Dr. Ireland’s research interests include the causes of violence, the consequences of child abuse and neglect, and the development of theories that attempt to explain crime and delinquency. He is currently involved in research on violence in public housing, childhood victimization, and building and testing theories of crime. In the Spring 2000 Dr. Ireland was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award in the School of Arts and Sciences. 
Dr. Craig Rivera joined the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice in the Fall of 2002. He received his B.S. degree in Administration of Justice from Penn State University in 1994, M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany in 1996, and Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, also from the University at Albany, in 2002. Dr. Rivera is currently teaching Introduction to Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, and Criminal Justice Management (graduate). He will also be teaching Research Thesis and a graduate class on restorative justice. Dr. Rivera’s research interests include the causes and consequences of different developmental patterns of crime and delinquency, methodological issues in the measurement and prediction of homicide rates, and several issues related to probation management and supervision style. He is currently involved in research on the consequences of adolescent delinquency and drug use, predictors of county-level homicide rates, and the relationship between the supervision style of probation officers and the environment in which they work. Dr. Rivera has co-authored articles in professional journals including Justice Quarterly, Social Forces, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Corrections Management Quarterly. He is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
Dr. Schupp earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University in 1993. He received his M.A. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany—SUNY in 1994 where he earned his Ph.D. in 2004. He teaches undergraduate courses in Principles of Justice, Imprisonment and Corrections, as well as Field Experience in Criminal Justice. In the graduate program he teaches the introductory course System-Wide Issues in Criminal Justice, the Seminar on Criminal Justice Ethics, and the Seminar on Organizational and White Collar Crime. His scholarly interests include the philosophical justifications for criminal punishment, the political economy of imprisonment, criminal justice ethics, and corporate and elite crime and deviance. He is a member of Amnesty International, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the American Society of Criminology’s Critical Criminology Section. He also serves as the Department’s Internship Director. 
Dr. David Taylor joinied the faculty in Fall, 1999. Dr. Taylor received his B.A. in Psychology from Castleton State College in 1990 and an M.A. in Criminal Justice from Indiana University in 1992. He received his Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine in 1999. He most recently taught at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Taylor has seven years combined work experience in law enforcement and community corrections. At NU, he currently teaches Introduction to Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Intimate Violence, Criminal Justice Administration and Management (Graduate), and Women and Minorities (Graduate). He has published in the area of corrections and is a manuscript reviewer for several journals. Dr. Taylor is currently working on a co-authored book on policing with Steve Cooper. His research interests include violence and the use of public and private urban space. Dr. Taylor is co-advisor of the Criminal Justice Association and a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.