Leslie Gordon Simons

Professor of Sociology

Dr. Leslie Gordon Simons, Professor of Sociology and Distinguished Scholar with the Owen's Institute of Social and Behavioral Research, joined the University of Georgia faculty in 2002. She has previously held faculty appointments in the Department of Sociology at Clemson University, the School of Criminology at Arizona State University and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at UGA. 

Leslie's primary areas of expertise are Family, Criminology, and Gender. Her program of research focuses on the socio-contextual predictors and consequences of various family processes as well as the mediators and moderators of the relationship between experiences in the family of origin and outcomes for adolescents and emerging adults. Specifically, she examines the intergenerational transmission of problem behaviors and the mechanisms that link family processes to behavioral outcomes such as delinquency, intimate partner violence, and risky sex, with emphasis on gender differences.

Her work has been published in top journals in sociology (e.g., American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Journal of Health & Social Behavior) as well as her areas of specialization including family (e.g., Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Family Psychology), crime & deviance (e.g., Criminology, Journal of Interpersonal Violence), gender (Sex Roles, Violence Against Women), and adolescent development (e.g., Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Youth & Society). She frequently collaborates with graduate student co-authors on her publications.

Leslie is principal investigator on an NSF-funded project examining the social and economic impact of COVID on African Americans and is a co-Investigator on over $20 million in funding for the the Family and Community Health Study, a multi-site, longitudinal project funded by the National Institutes on Health and the Centers for Disease Control. She is a Deputy Editor of Feminist Criminology, serves on the editorial board of Journal of Youth and Adolescence, represents the Department of Sociology on the Franklin Faculty Senate and is a member of UGA's Teaching Academy. She also holds affiliate faculty status in the Criminal Justice Studies program and the Institute of Women's Studies.

In addition to teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on Sociology of Family, Family Violence and Intimate Relationships, Leslie frequently mentors students in independent/directed studies and CURO projects, including honor's theses. 

Education:
  • Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, Iowa State University, 1999-2000
  • Ph.D., Sociology, Iowa State University, 1999
  • M.S., Sociology, University of Central Arkansas, 1993
  • B.A., Sociology, University of Central Arkansas, 1991

Annual Alumni Panel

Each year graduates of the Criminal Justice Studies Program are invited back to Athens to participate in a panel discussion held the Friday of Homecoming Weekend. After brief remarks (often about their lessons learned from the major and subsequent career paths) the panelists engage in a question and answer period. Many remain for more informal conversation with students. The Fall 2018 panel was held in the Pinnacle Room of the new Baldwin Hall annex.

Mark Cooney

Professor of Sociology

Dr. Mark Cooney, Professor of Sociology, has been at the University of Georgia since 1991. He received a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Virginia in 1991. In addition, Dr. Cooney holds a Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Harvard Law School, received in 1988. His departmental specialty area is crime, law, and deviance.

Dr. Cooney is interested in moral conflict, particularly violence. His publications have addressed a variety of topics, including the historical decline of elite homicide, the gravitational attraction of terrorism, and the effect of community ties on homicide.  In other work he has analyzed the social foundations of legal evidence, online hostility directed against individuals on death row, and everyday antagonism toward immigrants in Ireland.  His papers have appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Criminology, Law and Society Review and other outlets.

Dr. Cooney has published four books. Two address the conditions under which violence occurs.  Warriors and Peacemakers: How Third Parties Shape Violence (1998) analyzes the role of third parties in both promoting and preventing violent conflict.  Execution by Family: A Theory of Honor Violence examines the causes of family honor violence. Two other books address the social control of violence.  Is Killing Wrong? A Study in Pure Sociology (2009) analyzes how and why the punishment for homicide varies within and across human societies. His most recent book, Geometrical Justice: The Death Penalty in America (2022) (co-authored with Scott Phillips) uses high-quality death penalty data to present the most comprehensive test available of Donald Black's geometrical theory of law.  

Most of Dr. Cooney’s work employs a theoretical system known as social geometrical theory (created by Donald Black). Deviating from conventional conceptions of social reality, geometrical theory explains human behavior without reference to what people think, feel, or want. Social geometrical theory is also know as pure sociology.  

Education:
  • Ph.D., Sociology, University of Virginia, 1991
  • S.J.D., Juridical Science, Harvard Law School, 1988
  • LL.M., Harvard University, 1981
  • LL.M., University College of Dublin, Ireland, 1980
  • LL.B., J.D., University College of Dublin, Ireland, 1976

POLS/SOCI 3700

Research Methods in Criminal Justice
Credit Hours:
3

Fundamental principles of social science research and related research design. Structured to develop students' abilities to think clearly, critically, and logically about social science issues through the scientific evaluation of empirical issues and evidence.

pre-requisites: POLS/SOCI 1101

Semester Offered:
Fall
Spring
Level:
Undergraduate

SOCI 3810

Criminology
Credit Hours:
3

The nature, extent, and correlates of crime; theories of criminal behavior and victimization.

Pre-requisite: SOCI 1101, 1101H, 2600

Semester Offered:
Fall
Spring
Level:
Undergraduate

Criminal Justice Alumni Panel

2017 Alumni Panel
Zoom

The CJ Alumni Panel is held every year during the fall term.  Fields represented at this year's panel will be: Law Enforcement, Legal/Law, Probation/Parole, Victim Services/Advocates/Juvenile Justice/Forensics/Academe.  

Since 1995, the Panel has provided our current CJ majors an opportunity to meet with many alums in their chosen field. The panel members offer advice in various areas of the CJ field including law, law enforcement, probation, parole, juvenile justice, academia, and loss prevention/asset protection.   Over 100 alumni have generously donated their time to participate in this valuable learning opportunity for our students.

The annual Alumni Panel provides a unique instructional opportunity for both current students and UGA graduates. Current students clearly benefit from hearing from former students who have built successful careers in public service and security and who have invaluable advice to share. Among the many “pointers” offered by alumni in past  panels is the need to be fluent in a foreign language, the importance of writing and other communication skills, the value of internships, the importance of out-of-classroom conduct, the growing emphasis on graduate education and degrees, and the need to continue both training and education. In this regard, the alumni provide important feedback on SPIA and Arts and Sciences undergraduate programs and provide ways for faculty and staff to strengthen our instructional efforts.

Last year’s program was very successful, in large part because so many alumni and students participated. Invaluable assistance and support is also offered by UGA Career Services and the UGA Alumni Association.

The legal profession has been represented by private attorneys as well as both Public Defenders and District Attorneys and members of the Solicitor General’s Offices. Other panelists have come from Victim-Witness Programs, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, the Georgia Department of Probation and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles as well as the GBI. Federal career opportunities have been represented by agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, and ICE. Other attendees have come from the U. S. Customs and Border Patrol, U. S. Secret Service, U. S. Marshals and the U. S. Armed Forces. Local law enforcement has been represented by officers from Athens-Clarke County Police, Gwinnett County Police Department, Cobb County Police Department, the UGA Police Department, and the Atlanta Police Department.

POLS 3600

Criminal Justice Administration
Credit Hours:
3

The actors and agencies in the administration of criminal law in the United States. Surveys processes critical to criminal punishment: arrest, bail, prosecution, conviction, sentencing, and corrections.

Prerequisite: POLS 1101

Semester Offered:
Fall
Spring
Level:
Undergraduate
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