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Swanson, Cheryl

Cheryl Swanson

Biography

Dr. Cheryl Swanson, a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, has researched numerous topics since she joined UWF in 1990.

She wrote a book, “Everything I Didn’t Learn in Kindergarten, I Learned in Prison: A Restorative Approach to Corrections.” She has contributed chapters to several books, writing about employers’ willingness to hire ex-convicts, HIV/AIDS education needs, the exercise of police discretion, politics and older Americans, and whether victims should have the right to meet with their offenders. 

In peer-reviewed publications, Swanson has presented her findings about incarcerated fathers and parenting, the role of school resource officers, mentoring juveniles in adult jail, and the children of incarcerated parents, among other subjects. Swanson’s work has been published in American Journal of Criminal Justice, Social Work in Public Health, The Journal of Criminal Justice Education, The Prison Journal, State and Local Government Review, and others. She also wrote about “Race, Justice, and Ethics” for the Encyclopedia of Criminal Justice Ethics.

Swanson, who was awarded Professor Emeritus status in 2013, earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. She has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses.

Degrees & Institutions

Swanson received her bachelor's degree in Political Science at Knox College. She went on to earn her master's and doctorate degrees in Political Science at the University of Oklahoma.

Research

Restorative justice, alternatives to incarceration, reentry issues, victims and the justice system.

Publications

Books

  • Everything I Didn’t Learn in Kindergarten, I Learned in Prison:A Restorative Justice Approach to Corrections, Lanham, Md.” Lexington Books, 2009. Published in Paperback, 2010.

Book Chapters

  • “Employers’ Willingness to Hire Formerly Incarcerated Persons.” In Offender reentry: Rethinking Criminology and Criminal Justice, M. Crow & J. Smykla (Eds.). Burlington, Ma: Jones & Bartlett, 2014. (with Courtney Schnippert as 2nd author & Amanda Tryling as 3rd author.)
  • “Should Victims Have the Right to Meet with their Offenders?” pp. 73-90, in Controversies In Victimology, (2nd ed), Laura J. Moriarty (Ed.). Cincinnati: Anderson, 2008.
  • “HIV/AIDS Education Needs Assessment: A Comparative Study of Jail and Prison Inmates in Northwest Florida,” article reprinted in Mark M. Lanier (Ed.). The Impact of HIV/AIDS in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Hampshire, UK: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006. (with Katie Keeton 1st author).
  • "Judgment Policy and the Exercise of Police Discretion," pp. 122-134, in The Political Science of Criminal Justice, Stuart Nagel, Erica Fairchild, Anthony Champagne (Eds.). Springfield, Ill.: Chas. Thomas, 1983. (With John Bolland as second author).
  • “Politics and Older Americans,” pp. 169-174, in The Dynamics of Aging: Essays on the Experience and Process of Growing Old. Forrest J. Berghorn, Donna E. Schager (Eds.) Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, November, 1980. (With Allan Cigler as first author).
  • "A Comparison of Organizational and Environmental Influence on Arrest Policies," pp.15-34, in Determinants of Law Enforcement Policies. Fred A. Meyer, Jr. and Ralph Baker (Eds.). Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1979. (Reprinted journal article).
  • "The Impact of Organizational Structure, Technology, and Professionalism on the Policy of Affirmative Action, pp. 41-56, in Race, Sex, and Public Policy, M.S. Palley, and M. Preston (Eds.). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1978. (With Brint Milward as first author). (Reprinted journal article).

Peer Review Journal Articles in Print

  • “Prisoners’ Perceptions of Father-Child Relationships and Social Support,” American Journal of Criminal Justice. 37 (Fall, 2012, pp. 338-355 (with Chang-Bae Lee, Frank Sansone, and Kimberly Tatum. Cheryl Swanson as first author.
  • “Incarcerated Fathers and Parenting: The Importance of the Relationship with Children,” Social Work in Public Health, 27 (January, 2012), pp. 165-186 (with Chang Bae Lee as 1st author, Frank Sansone as third author, and Kimberly Tatum as 4th author.
  • “Is Criminal Justice Ready for Re-entry?” The Journal of Criminal Justice Education. 21 (Winter 2010), 60-76. With Matt Crow, 2nd author and Glenn Rohrer, 3nd author).
  • “Incorporating Restorative Justice into the School Resource Officer Model,” International Journal of Restorative Justice, 3 (Fall, 2007) with (Michelle Owen as second author).
  • “HIV/AIDS Education Needs Assessment: A Comparative Study of Jail and Prison Inmates in Northwest Florida.” The Prison Journal, 78 (June, 1998), pp. 119-132 (with Katie Keeton as first author).
  • “Mentoring Juveniles in Adult Jail: An Example of Service Learning.” Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 8 (Fall, 1997), pp.263-271. (with Kate King and Nicole Wolbert as second and third authors).
  • “Have Attitudes Changed? Citizens’ Views of Prison Effects on Their Community Over Time.” State and Local Government Review, 29 (Fall, 1997), pp. 147-155.
  • “Children of Incarcerated Parents: Hidden Victims at Risk.” Proteus: A Journal of Ideas, 13 (Fall, 1996), pp.61-64.
  • “Enforcement Issues in Electronic Monitoring of Probationers.” Journal of Offender Monitoring, 5 (Fall, 1993), pp. 1-13. (With Daniel M. Ward as second author).
  • “Citizen Perceptions of Prison Effects on Their Community”, State and Local Government Review, 25 (Spring 1993), pp.107-116.
  • "Defining a Political Instrumentality Model in a Non-Bargaining Environment: A Case Study", Review of Public Personnel Administration, 13 (Summer, 1993), pp.85-93.
  • "The Effect of Environmental Uncertainty on Public Organizations," Administration and Society, 11 (Aug.,1979), pp. 123-143. (With Brint Milward as first author).
  • "From Machiavelli to Ms.: Differences in Male-Female Power Styles," Public Administration Review, 29 (January, 1979), pp. 66-72. (With Karen Van Wagner as first author).
  • "The Influence of Organization and Environment on Arrest Policies in Major U.S. Cities," Policy Studies Journal, 16 (Special Issue, 1978), pp. 390-398.
  • "The Impact of Affirmative Action on Organization Behavior", Policy Studies Journal, 16 (Winter, 1978), pp. 201-207. (With Brint Milward as first author).
  • "Testing A Theory of Organizational Discrimination", Midwest Review of Public Administration, 12 (June, 1978), pp. 125-127. (With Brint Milward as first author).
  • "Analyzing Police Policies: The Impact of Environment, Politics, and Crime," Urban Affairs Quarterly, 11 (June, 1976), pp. 489-511. (With David R. Morgan as first author).

Professional Publications in Print (reviewed by editor or editorial board)

  • “Evaluating a Faith-Based Restorative Justice Honor Dorm from the Perspectives of a Warden, a Chaplain, and a College Professor.” Corrections Today (June, 2007) (with Grantt Culliver and Chris Summers).
  • “Restorative Justice Applications to the Crime of Embezzlement: A Case Study,” ACResolution, (Summer 2004).
  • “Intermediate Sanctions,” Human Variety, (September/October 2003), pp. 1-2.
  • “Juvenile Mentoring in Jail: A Partnership with Higher Education.” American Jails, (May/June, 1998), pp. 38-43.
  • "A Question of Height Revisited: Assaults on Police," Journal of Police Administration, (June, 1975), pp.183-188. (With Charles Hale as first author).
  • "Socioeconomic Characteristics of Revenue Policies among Twenty-Five Oklahoma Cities," Oklahoma Business Bulletin, (April, 1974).

Keywords: employer attitudes toward ex-convicts, police discretion, politics and older Americans, school resource officers, children of incarcerated parents, HIV/AIDs education in Northwest Florida, incarcerated parents and children