Faculty
Joseph L. Peterson
Professor and Director
- Carthage College, 1967, AB, Math/Physics
- University of California, Berkeley, 1971, D.Crim, Criminology/Criminalistics
Joseph L. Peterson has held academic and administrative positions in several criminal justice programs over the past thirty-five years: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, University of Illinois, Chicago, Sam Houston State University (TX), and California State University, Los Angeles. In the 1970s, he was on the staff of the National Institute of Justice, and served as Executive Director of the Forensic Sciences Foundation, Rockville, MD. Peterson’s research and publications have monitored the evolution of the forensic sciences, documenting its growing potential as well as its shortcomings. His research has focused on the uses and effects of scientific evidence and testimony at key decision points in the judicial process (arrest, charging, determination of guilt or innocence, and sentencing) and found that forensic evidence has a limited effect in deciding guilt or innocence, but major impact at the points of arrest and sentencing. His work has also probed the quality of crime laboratory results via proficiency testing of examiners. Peterson has examined the problems associated with the placement of crime laboratories within law enforcement agencies, including chronic resources shortages, difficulties in maintaining neutrality, and a reluctance to embrace rigorous scientific standards.
Dr. Peterson testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee in 1989 when forensic DNA testing was first being introduced. He advised Senator Paul Simon and the committee that quality control and the training of analysts, police officers, and judicial personnel would be critical if DNA typing was to be accepted by the courts and the public. In his career, Peterson has received research grants from the National Institute of Justice, the Forensic Sciences Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Peterson’s 2002 and 2005 Census(es) of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories for the U.S. for the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) have documented high caseloads, long backlogs, and severe budgetary and personnel needs. He is presently (2006) funded by the National Institute of Justice to study the role and impact of forensic science in the criminal justice process.
Office: Room 253, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: joseph.peterson@calstatela.edu
Office Phone: 323-343-3613.
Deborah Baskin
Professor
- University of Pennsylvania, 1985, PhD
Dr. Baskin’s research interests focus on understanding community level and cultural factors as they act as pathways into, maintenance of, and desistance from criminal offending. She has done extensive research on how these processes affect women’s involvement in violent street crime and drug distribution. Dr. Baskin is also interested, more generally, in exploring the relationship, if any, between drugs and violence and has conducted research specifically on crack and methamphetamine use and abuse. Recently, she completed a study on the affect of crime show viewing on juror decision making.
Office: Room 257, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: dbaskin@calstatela.edu
Office phone: 323-343-4619
Lisa Graziano
Assistant Professor
Community policing; police-community interaction; information technology
and public safety
Office:Room 247, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Phone: (323) 343-6230
E-mail: lgrazia@calstatela.edu
Denise Herz
Professor
- University of Maryland at College Park, 1997, PhD, Criminology.
- University of Maryland at College Park, 1994, MA, Criminology.
- Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, 1991, BA, Law & Society
Prior to coming to the School of Criminal Justice, Professor Herz was faculty at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the Department of Criminal Justice. Her primary area of research is in juvenile justice, with particular emphasis on mental health and substance abuse issues among offenders, improving the processing of juvenile offenders, and most recently, crossover youth.
Since 2004, Dr. Herz has worked with Los Angeles Superior Court, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, and the Los Angeles County Probation Department to document the characteristics and needs of crossover youth (i.e., dependent youth who “crossover” into delinquency) and to evaluate the court’s Multidisciplinary Team pilot program for handling crossover youth. In addition to this work, Dr. Herz has been involved a variety of research and evaluation projects. She is currently evaluating the Mental Health Advocacy Team program recently created by the Children’s Law Center in Los Angeles. In Nebraska, Dr. Herz completed a statewide report on mental health services for juvenile offenders, provided technical assistance and wrote the reports for the legislatively mandated Substance Abuse Task Force, and produced an evaluation of three juvenile drug courts. Dr. Herz was also the Site Director for the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program in Omaha (1996-2001) and in Los Angeles (2003-2004). As part of ADAM, she authored the National Institute Research in Brief, “Drugs in the Heartland: Methamphetamine Use in Rural Nebraska.”
Dr. Herz’s work is published in a variety of academic journals and books, including: Children & Youth Services Review, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Crime & Delinquency, Deviant Behavior, Feminist Criminology, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Journal of Drug Issues, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Journal of Research and Policy, Juvenile & Family Court Journal, and Social Work Research.
Office: Room 255, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: dherz@calstatel.edu
Office phone: 323-343-4624
Don Johnson
Associate Professor
- University of California, Los Angeles, 1989, MS (PhD candidate), Anatomy
- California State University, Los Angeles, 1984, Biology
Professor Donald Johnson has been actively involved in the forensic sciences for over two decades, both as a practitioner and academician. His career began with service to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office and the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. He then advanced to senior criminalist at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where he was an ASCLD/LAB qualified DNA analyst and specialized in the forensic investigation of violent crimes. Professor Johnson continues to serve forensic laboratories as a consultant and trainer.
Professor Johnson received his graduate degrees at the UCLA School of Medicine, and has published on research in neurobiology and criminalistics in scientific journals such as Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and the Journal of Forensic Sciences. His current research examines the use of new technologies and novel approaches to advance the analysis of problematic forensic samples. In 2007, Professor Johnson and Dr. Katherine Roberts received a National Institute of Justice research grant to investigate the use of SampleMatrix™ to capture and stabilize crime scene biological samples for optimized analysis and room temperature storage. Professor Johnson is additionally investigating the role and impact of forensic evidence in the criminal justice process under a National Institute of Justice research grant given to Drs. Peterson and Sommers of the CSULA School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics. Professor Johnson brings his casework and research experience to the classroom in his teaching of forensic science to undergraduate and graduate students at CSULA.
Office: Room 246, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Phone: (323) 343-4620
E-mail:djohnso5@calstatela.edu
Kathy Roberts
Associate Professor
DNA Analysis; Trace Evidence Analysis; Controlled Substance Analysis
Office: Room 254, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Phone: (323) 343-4625
E-mail: krobert2@calstatela.edu
Bill Sanders
Associate Professor
- University of London (London School of Economics/Goldsmith College), 2004, PhD, Sociology
- University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall College), 1995, MPhil, Criminology
- University of California, Riverside, 1994, BA, Sociology/Law & Society
Born and raised in Southern California, Dr. Sanders is a sociologist who has published and conducted research in the areas of ‘high risk behaviors’, such as substance use, violence, offending, and unsafe sexual practices among ‘at risk youth’, such as young offenders, gang members, injection drug users, and the homeless. A focus of his research is on how high risk behaviors shape negative health and social outcomes. Dr. Sanders has also published on drug selling, qualitative research methods and gang intervention. His book on young offenders in London, Youth Crime and Youth Culture in the Inner City (2005, Routledge), won the 2006 Scholar’s Choice Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems. His latest book, Drugs, Clubs and Young People: Sociological and Public Health Perspectives, was published in 2006 by Ashgate.
In 2008, Dr. Sanders completed a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded pilot study exploring health risks, including risk of exposure to HIV and hepatitis C, associated with substance use, violence, and sexual behavior amongst gang-identified youth in Los Angeles. Through this and similar research, he is promoting a public health agenda for the study and approach towards gang youth. Dr. Sanders has also worked on other NIDA-funded projects on injection drug use and non-medical prescription drug use.
Office: Room 248, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: bsander2@calstatela.edu
Office phone: 323-343-4622
Ira B. Sommers
Professor
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1986-1988, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Mental Health Systems and Services Research Training Program, Department of Sociology, Social and Demographic Research Institute,
- University of Pennsylvania, 1983, DSW, Social Work
- Boston University, MS, 1976, Rehabilitation Counseling
- State University of New York at Buffalo, BA, 1974, Psychology
Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Sommers has conducted and published research on a wide range of topics, including female offending, substance abuse and violence, forensic mental health, substance use and risk behaviors, and domestic violence. He is co-author of The Social Consequences of Methamphetamine Use (2004), Workin' Hard for the Money: The Social and Economic Lives of Female Drug Dealers (2000) and Casualties of Community Disorder: Women's Careers in Violent Crime (1998).
Recently, Dr. Sommers completed a National Science Foundation grant studying methamphetamine use and violence. Currently, he is the Co-Principal Investigator on a national Institute of Justice study that is assessing the role and impact of forensic evidence on the criminal justice system.
Office: Room 258, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: isommer@calstatela.edu
Office phone: 323-343-3424
Katharine Tellis
Assistant Professor
- University of Nebraska-Omaha, 2008, PhD, Criminal Justice
- University of California, Los Angeles, 2005, MSW, Social Welfare
- University of California, Los Angeles, 2003, BA (Summa Cum Laude), Women Studies
As a social worker and criminologist, Dr. Tellis’ primary areas of interest center on violence prevention, both in the home and in the community at large. Her passion for social change began as an undergraduate while volunteering as a Rape Crisis Advocate for the Valley Trauma Center in Los Angeles, which services survivors of sexual assault and their families. As a graduate student at UCLA, she interned at the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder clinic in the VA hospital in West Los Angeles, which furthered her interest in the effects of trauma on survivors and witnesses of violence. Her doctoral dissertation was a qualitative study of the situational characteristics of intimate partner rape, with a particular focus on how it represents the convergence of sexual assault and domestic violence. Dr. Tellis’ research seeks to further the development of public policies that promote and sustain violence-free families and communities.
Office: Room 248, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Email: ktellis@calstatela.edu
Office Phone: 323-343-4623
Part Time Instructors
David Brougham, J.D. Professor Brougham received his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law, worked 20 years as a prosecuting attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and currently serves as a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge. He has been teaching at California State University for over a decade and teaches Criminal Procedures (CRIM 428), Ethics (CRIM 405) and Criminal Law (CRIM 126).
Leslie Clark, PhD, MPH. Dr. Clark is a social psychologist with expertise in research methodology, public health, and behavioral interventions. She is an associate professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and also works in the Divisions of Research on Children, Youth, and Families and Adolescent Medicine at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. She is the developer of Project AIM (Adult Identity Mentoring), a national positive youth development intervention for at risk middle school age youth. Dr. Clark teaches Mental Disorders, Substance Use, and Violence (CRIM 432).
Amanda Davis, M.S. Ms. Davis obtained a B.S. in Chemistry from Appalachian State University, part of the University of North Carolina system, and an M.S. in Criminalistics from California State University, Los Angeles. She is a Senior Criminalist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Scientific Services Bureau, Quality Assurance Division. Ms. Davis teaches Introduction to Forensic Science (CRIM 409).
Barry Dineen, PhD. Dr. Dineen received his B.S. in Police Science and Administration, California State University, Los Angeles, and Doctorate in Criminal Justice from August Vollmer University. He is former Dean of the Department of Public Safety, Rio Hondo Community College, and retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He has been on the staff at California State University, Los Angeles for the past 20 years. Dr. Dineen teaches Criminal Law (CRIM 126), Corrections (CRIM 201), Ethics (CRIM 405), and Advanced Police Training (CRIM 447).
Kelly William Enos, M.A. Mr. Enos is a retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff with 10 years of law enforcement experience. He earned a master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles and has worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department and trainer for the State of California Adult Protective Services. Mr. Enos is currently Vice Chair of the Administration of Justice program at Los Angeles Mission College. He teaches Introduction to the Administration of Justice (CRIM 101), Concepts of Criminal Law (CRIM 126) and Theory and Perspectives (CRIM 303).
Katrina Kubicek, M.A. Ms. Kubicek has her M.A. in cultural anthropology from Tulane University, where she is also a doctoral candidate. She is a researcher at the Community, Health Outcomes and Intervention Research Program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where she directs studies on the cultural, social and psychological factors relating to risk and protective behaviors for substance use and HIV. She teaches Written Communication (CRIM 301), Criminal Justice Research (CRIM 430), and Family Violence: A Criminal Justice Perspective (CRIM 491).
Carley D. Mitchell, B.S. Mr. Mitchell earned a B.S. in Public Management from Pepperdine University and taken added graduate studies in Public Communications. He is retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 25 years of service. He also taught for seven years at the California Department of Justice and 19 years for Rio Hondo Community College. He has been a lecturer for California State University, Los Angeles for four years. He teaches Police Organization and Administration (CRIM 202), Concepts of Criminal Law (CRIM 126), Ethics (CRIM 405), and various classes on policing.
Robert Schug, Ph.D. Dr. Schug has engaged in doctoral and postdoctoral clinical neuroscience research in the Department of Psychology, University of Southern California. His areas of research specialization include psychopathy, schizophrenia, and homicide, and he teaches courses in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Schug teaches Theory and Perspectives (CRIM 303), Forensic Mental Health (CRIM 307), Mental Disorder, Substance Use and Violence (CRIM 432), The Psychopath (CRIM 454), and Criminal Profiling (CRIM 491).
Stephanie Tovar, M.S. Ms. Tovar has a dual Masters of Science in Criminal Justice and Urban Studies from Michigan State University. She is Project Coordinator for a substance abuse and treatment study for gang-affiliated adolescents and their families, and Project Manager for other medical research studies aimed at improving the overall quality of life for racial/ethnic populations in Southern California. Ms. Tovar teaches Written Communication (CRIM 301), Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the Criminal Justice System (CRIM 210), and Female Juvenile Delinquents (CRIM 491).
Staff
Gloria Torres, Administrative Support Coordinator
Office: Room 244, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Phone: (323) 343-4610
Fax: (323) 343-4646
Nicole Munoz, Administrative Support Assistant
Office: Room 244, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center
Phone: (323) 343-4610
Fax: (323) 343-4646