Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice
Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice
211 Oswald Tower
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-2527
Fax: 814-863-7216
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Richard Felson
Professor of Crime, Law, and Justice and Sociology
1012 Oswald Tower
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EDUCATION
Ph.D., Sociology, Indiana University 1977
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 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 and Keri Burchfield. 2004. “Alcohol and the Risk of Physical and Sexual Assault Victimizations.” Criminology, November 42 (4):837-858.
Steven F. Messner, Suzanne Mchugh, and Richard B. Felson. 2004. “The Distinctive Characteristics of Assault Motivated by Bias.” Criminology 42 (3): 585-618.
Eric P. Baumer, Richard B. Felson and Steven F. Messner. 2003. “Changes in Police Notification for Rape, 1973-2000.” Criminology. 41 (3): 841-872.
Eric P. Baumer, Julie Horney, Richard B. Felson and Janet L. Lauritsen. 2003. "Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Nature of Violence.” Criminology 41 (1): 39-72.
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.
Eric P. Baumer, Steven F. Messner, and Richard B. Felson. 2000. “The Role of Victim Character and Victim Conduct in the Disposition of Murder Cases.” Justice Quarterly: 17:281-307.
Richard B. Felson, Eric Baumer and Steven F. Messner. 2000. “Acquaintance Robbery.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 37: 284-305.
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.
Fred Markowitz and Richard B. Felson. 1998. “Social-Demographic Differences in Attitudes and Violence.” Criminology 36: 117-138.
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 his 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: