Richard Felson

Research and Teaching Interests

Professor Felson’s primary interest is in the social psychology of violence.  His focus is on the role of situational factors in homicide, assault, robbery and rape.  His current research concerns race differences in violence, the control motive in marital violence, and the role of the police in deterring marital violence.  He teaches course on violence, theory, and the Sociology of Deviance.

Professional and Scholarly Awards and Achievements

Funding: Police Intervention and Repeat Offending in Domestic Assault.”  National Institute of Justice, 2002. Neighborhoods and Situational Factors in Violence.  With Julie Horney, Janet Laureston, and Eric Baumer.  National Consortium on Violence Research.  1999-2000.  Sex, Self-Appraisals and Performance in Mathematics.  National Science Foundation.  1985-1988.  Children's Self-concept in Relation to Appraisals of Parents, Teachers, Peers and Performance.  National Science Foundation.  1983-1985.  Assessing Situational Factors in Violent Behavior.  With H. Steadman.  National Institute of Mental Health.  1979-1981.  Race, Social Context and Adolescent Violence.  National Consortium on Violence Research.  1998.

Editorial boards: Criminology (two terms); Social Psychology Quarterly (three terms),  Replications in Social Psychology, Self and Identity.

Council Member, and Chair of various committees, Social Psychology Section, American Sociological Association, 1988-91.

Selected Publications

• Richard B. Felson and Jukka Savolainen, Thoroddur Bjarnason, Amy Anderson and I. Tusty Zohra  2011. "The Cultural Context of Adolescent Drinking and Violence in 30 European Countries." Criminology 49:699-728.

• Richard B. Felson and Kelsea Jo Lane. 2010. “Does Violence Involving Women and Intimate Partners have a Special Etiology?” Forthcoming in Criminology (February).
• Richard B. Felson and Paul-Philippe Paré. 2010. “Gun Cultures or Honor cultures?: Explaining Regional and Race differences in Weapon Carrying.” Forthcoming in Social Forces (June).
• Richard B. Felson and Paul-Philippe Paré. 2010. “Firearms and Fisticuffs: Region, Race, and Adversary Effects on Homicide and Assault.” Forthcoming in Social Science Research.
• Richard B. Felson, Glenn Deane, and David P. Armstrong. 2008 “Do Theories of Crime or Violence Explain Race Differences in Delinquency.” Social Science Research. 37 624–641.
• Richard B. Felson, Jukka Savolainen, Mikko Aaltonen, and Heta Moustgaard. 2008. “Is the Association between Alcohol Use and Delinquency Causal or Spurious?” Criminology. 46: 301-324.
• Richard B. Felson and Jeremy Staff. 2006. “Explaining the Academic Performance-Delinquency Relationship." Criminology, 44: 229-320.
• Richard B. Felson. 2006. “Is Violence Against Women About Women or About Violence?” Contexts Magazine, vol. 5, issue 2.
• Richard B. Felson and Paul-Philippe Paré. 2005. “The Reporting of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault by Nonstrangers to the Police” Journal of Marriage and Family, August, 67 (3): 597-610.
• Richard B. Felson, Jeff Ackerman, and Catherine Gallagher. 2005. “Police Intervention and the Repeat of Domestic Violence.” Criminology, August, 43 (3): 563-588.
• Richard B. Felson and Alison C. Cares. 2005. “Gender and the Seriousness of Assaults on Intimate Partners and Other Victims.” Journal of Marriage and Family, December 67: 1182-1195.
• Richard B. Felson and Keri Burchfield. 2004. “Alcohol and the Risk of Physical and Sexual Assault Victimizations.” Criminology, November 42 (4):837-858.
• Richard B. Felson, Jeff Ackerman and Seong-Jin Yeon. 2003. “The (In)frequency of Family Violence.” Journal of Marriage and Family. 65(3):622-634.
• Richard B. Felson and Dana Haynie. 2002. “Pubertal development, Social Factors and Delinquency among Adolescent Boys.” Criminology 40: 967-988.
• Richard B. Felson. 2002.  Violence and Gender Reexamined. American Psychological Association.
• Richard B. Felson, Steven F. Messner, Anthony Hoskin and Glenn Deane.  2002. “Reasons for Reporting and not Reporting Violence to the Police.”  Criminology 40:617-648.
• Richard B. Felson and Jeff Ackerman. 2001.  “Arrest for Domestic and Other Assaults.”  Criminology 39:655-676.
• Richard B. Felson and Steven F. Messner. 2000.  “The Control Motive in Intimate Partner Violence.”  Social Psychology Quarterly. 63 (March): 86-94.
• Richard B. Felson and Steven F. Messner.  1999.  “The Victim-Offender Relationship and Calling the Police in Assaults.”  Criminology 37 (Septermber): 901-917.
• Richard B. Felson and Steven F. Messner. 1998.  “Disentangling the Effects of Gender and Intimacy on Victim-Precipitation in Homicide.”  Criminology 36: 405-424.
  
• Richard B. Felson.  1996. "Big People Hit Little People:  Sex differences in physical power and interpersonal violence."  Criminology August 34: 433-452.
• Richard B. Felson.  1996.  "Mass Media Effects on Violent Behavior."  Annual Review of Sociology Volume 22: 103-128.
• Richard B. Felson & Steven F. Messner.  1996.  “To Kill or Not to Kill?: Lethal Outcomes in Injurious Attacks.”  Criminology November 34: 201-227.
• James Tedeschi and Richard B. Felson.  1994.  Violence, Aggression, and Coercive Actions.  American Psychological Association.

If you are interested in purchasing Dr. Felson's most recent book on violence
(Violence and Gender Reexamined), go to the following website:

http://www.apa.org/books/431675A.html

His earlier books on violence are available at the following website:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com