Kristin Santos, PhD, earned two Bachelor of Science degrees (criminal justice and psychology) from Lake Superior State University. She earned her Master of Science in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, and then went on to the University of Akron for her PhD in sociology with criminology and mental illness concentrations.
An associate professor in the criminal justice program, Santos currently teaches corrections, research methods, criminology, victimology, capital punishment, media and crime, mental illness and crime and deviance. Her research interests include criminology, domestic violence, power differentials and dynamics, stalking, sexual assault, cults, media and deviance.
Santos enjoys combining both theory and practical application in her courses. Her courses engage students' critical thinking skills by encouraging comprehension of the underlying theories and subsequent application to real-world situations.
Santos has practical experience in corrections. She worked as a juvenile corrections officer with minimum to closed (maximum) security clientele, often on sex offender and treatment units, as well as on general population units and in the control center. Santos has also worked in a step-down crisis home for the mentally ill, with newly released clientele from jails and hospitals with mental health units who need additional monitoring and structure before they can be fully released back into society.
At home, Santos enjoys spending time with her son, daughter, husband and pets. She is an artist and likes to paint and draw. She also enjoys reading.
