Current and Ongoing Projects

Causes and Consequences of Criminal Behavior [Work ongoing -- more updates forthcoming]

Criminal behavior is a significant public health issue with heavy social and economic burdens, including the costs of criminal justice adjudication, compensation for victims and families, as well as collateral impacts on communities. The importance of identifying the causes and consequences of criminal behavior is paramount to developing better tools for intervention and prevention programs as well as improving risk assessments. This project utilizes a biopsychosocial criminological approach to identify etiological risk factors for criminal behavior as well as the consequences of such behavior on life outcomes. I am honored to have been able to contribute to the following publications thanks to support from the European Commission and Orebro University (Sweden):

• Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity during adolescence in relation to psychopathic personality traits later in life

• Interaction of Resting Heart Rate with Empathy in Predicting Externalizing Behavior 

• The association between depression and crime outcomes: A Swedish population-based study

• Resting heart rate as a risk and protective factor for intrapersonal violence: A population-based study

Life Experiences and Personality [Work ongoing -- more updates forthcoming]

This project will examine how life experiences are associated with personality traits.