Meridith A. Spencer
- Courses1
- Reviews2
- School: University of Massachusetts
- Campus:
- Department: Criminal Justice
- Email address: Join to see
- Phone: Join to see
-
Location:
220 Pawtucket St
Lowell, MA - 01854 - Dates at University of Massachusetts: April 2013 - November 2013
- Office Hours: Join to see
Biography
University of Massachusetts - Criminal Justice
Experience
Northeastern State University
Adjunct Professor
Adjunct Professor teaching Intro to Criminal Justice, Corrections and Juvenile Justice.
Fisher College
Assistant Professor, Program Director, Criminal Justice
Meridith worked at Fisher College as a Assistant Professor, Program Director, Criminal Justice
Fisher College
Adjunct Professor
Meridith worked at Fisher College as a Adjunct Professor
Summit Educational Group
Tutor
Tutored students for the ISEE, SSAT, SAT and ACT exams, as well as academic tutoring.
Bridgewater State University
Visiting Lecturer
Meridith worked at Bridgewater State University as a Visiting Lecturer
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center
Medical Advocate Peer Supervisor
Meridith worked at Boston Area Rape Crisis Center as a Medical Advocate Peer Supervisor
Education
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Criminology and Justice Studies
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Graduate Certificate
Forensic Criminology
University of Colorado Denver
MCJ
Criminal Justice
Publications
Forensic Evidence and Criminal Justice Outcomes in a Statewide Sample of Sexual Assault Cases
National Crimninal Justice Reference Service
Survivors of sexual assault not only suffer the terror and degradation of the assault, they are also at risk of re-victimization from informal and professional responses that question their credibility and, in effect, blame them for the assault. When these cases are prosecuted, enormous demands are placed on victims; they must testify in court about the traumatic events of the crime and face assaults on their credibility both inside and outside the courtroom. In this difficult context, investigative methods that increase evidence against assailants while decreasing the burden on victims are especially important, and advances in the technology and expertise of collecting and analyzing injury and forensic evidence offer promise. This study: • Examines the frequency of injury and biological evidence in sexual assault cases; • Identifies case factors associated with the presence of injury and biological evidence; • Analyzes how often biological evidence is processed prior to versus after arrest; • Explores how injury and biological evidence as well as other factors are related to arrest; and • Examines results for key comparisons thought to be salient for forensic evidence: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners vs. other medical examiners; strangers vs. known suspects; child victims vs. adults and adolescents. This project was supported under award number 2011-WG-BX-0005 to the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
