Biography
Dr. Craig J. Rivera joined the faculty of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice in the fall of 2002. He currently teaches or has taught Policy Research Seminar, Introduction to Criminal Justice, and Restorative Justice on the undergraduate level; he also teaches Research Methods, Introduction to Statistical Analysis, and Restorative Justice on the graduate level. Dr. Rivera’s recent and forthcoming publications appear in journals such as Sociology of Religion, Pastoral Psychology, American Journal of Community Psychology, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Dr. Rivera serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and is a member of the American Society of Criminology, the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the Religious Research Association. He also serves as Director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Religion at Niagara University, which engages in and promotes scholarship and creative work on all facets of religion, and also facilitates opportunities for members of the University community to deepen their engagement with their faith.
Current Research
Dr. Craig J. Rivera’s main research interests include examining predictors, correlates, and effects of religiosity, including the relationship between religiosity and individual behavior, both antisocial and prosocial; identifying patterns and causes of gun violence; and identifying predictors of probation violations and revocations and developing policy implications of these findings.
Along with several colleagues from the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Dr. Rivera is currently a co-principal investigator on a grant-funded project that involves working with the Niagara County Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to evaluate two initiatives focused on reducing opioid use and addiction in Niagara County. Dr. Rivera was also a co-principal investigator, with several colleagues, on a recently completed grant that involved working with the Niagara County Probation Department to collect and analyze data with the purpose of identifying predictors of probation violations and revocations.
Educational Background
- Ph.D., University at Albany
- M.A., University at Albany
- B.S., Penn State University.