Elaine Gunnison, PhD

Biography

Elaine Gunnison is Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics. She received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati with a specialization in life course criminology, female offending, and corrections. Her research interests include understanding female offending patterns such as desistance and persistence, the applicability of criminological theory to females, understanding community corrections officers, and reentry following incarceration. She has also recently been examining criminal justice researchers’ experiences with IRBs as well as Graduate Directors’ and graduate students’ experiences in criminal justice and criminology programs. She teaches a range of courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs including criminology and methods. Since 2008, she has served as the Graduate Director of the MACJ Program.

Prior to joining the faculty at Seattle University (SU) in 2004, she worked at another academic institution where she spearheaded research at a prison for women. Since joining the faculty at SU, she has conducted primary research in a variety of corrections’ spaces (e.g., prisons, day reporting centers) and secondary research examining life course criminology and in corrections on the topic of work release centers. She has sole-authored or was lead author on four books, and she has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles in outlets such as Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law, and Society, Federal Probation, The Journal of Criminal Justice, The Journal of Community Corrections, The Journal of International and Comparative Criminal Justice, The Journal of Crime and Justice, Women and Criminal Justice, Corrections: Policy, Practice, and Research, The Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, The Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, The Western Criminology Review, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, The Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, Academic Exchange Quarterly, and the Qualitative Report. Recently, she just completed serving a term as Vice-President and President of the Western Society of Criminology where she is continuing to serve as an Executive Board Member. She is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, and the Western Society of Criminology.

Education

Ph.D. 2001, University of Cincinnati; Criminal Justice
M.S. 1997, University of Cincinnati; Criminal Justice
BA. 1996, Wright State University; Psychology major, Sociology minor

Courses Taught

Introduction to Criminal Justice
Criminology
Criminal Justice Statistics
Criminal Justice Research Methods
Gender, Race, & Crime
Senior Synthesis
Advanced Criminological Theories (graduate)
Feminist Criminology (graduate)
Criminal Justice Capstone Seminar (graduate)
Advanced Research Methods (graduate)
Qualitative Research Methods (graduate)

Publications

Gunnison, E. (2025). “Understanding Graduate Director Roles in Criminal Justice & Criminology Programs.” Journal of Criminal Justice Education.
Gunnison, E. & Helfgott, J. B. (2024). “Criminology and Criminal Justice Researchers’ Experiences and Challenges with Institutional Review Boards.” Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 13.
Helfgott, J. B., & Gunnison, E. (2023). “Trauma, Psychopathic Traits, and Resilience in Female Post-Prison Reentry Outcomes.” Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, 24(1): 52-70.
Giuffre, A., & Gunnison, E. (2022). “Sorority Women’s Perceptions of Survivors’ Services and Justice on an Urban Campus.” Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence, 7(1): 1-19.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2021). “Process, Power, and Impact of the Institutional Review Board in Criminology and Criminal Justice Research.” Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 16(3): 1-17.
Helfgott, J. B., & Gunnison, E. (2020). “Gender-Responsive Reentry Services for Women Leaving Prison: The IF Project’s Seattle Women’s Reentry Initiative.” Corrections: Policy, Practice & Research, 6: 1-30.
Helfgott, J. B., Gunnison, E., Sumner, J., Collins, P., & Rice, S. K. (2020). “If Someone Would Have Showed Me”: Identifying Pivotal Points in Pathways to Crime and Incarceration Through Prisoner Self- Narratives” International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 64(6-7): 609–634.
Tamura, K., & Gunnison, E. (2019). “Hearing on the Deaf Penalty: The Intersection of Deafness and Criminal Justice.” Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology, 7(3): 215-239.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2017). “Critical Keys to Successful Offender Reentry: Getting a Handle on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Problems.” The Qualitative Report, 22(8): 2152-2172.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2016). “A Day in the Life of a Day Reporting Center: A Profile of Needs & Challenges of Clients Entering and Exiting.” The Journal of Community Corrections, 25(4): 5-14.
Gunnison, E. (2015). “Investigating Life Course Offender Subgroup Heterogeneity: An Exploratory Latent Class Analysis Approach.” Women and Criminal Justice, 25(4): 223-240.
Gunnison, E. (2014). “Desistance from Criminal Offending: Exploring Gender Similarities and Differences.” Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society, 15(3): 75-95.
Gunnison, E. (2012). “An Examination of Female and Male Work Release Offenders: Risk Factors, Needs, and Recidivism.” Journal of Community Corrections, 21(4): 9-16.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2018). Women Leading Justice: Experience and Insights. Routledge.
Gunnison, E. (2017). Community Corrections. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Gunnison, E., Bernat, F., & Goodstein, L. (2016). Women, Crime and Justice--Balancing the Scales. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2013). Offender Reentry: Beyond Crime and Punishment. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Books

Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2018). Women Leading Justice: Experience and Insights. Routledge.
Gunnison, E. (2017). Community Corrections. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Gunnison, E., Bernat, F., & Goodstein, L. (2016). Women, Crime and Justice--Balancing the Scales. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2013). Offender Reentry: Beyond Crime and Punishment. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Additional Research

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