Allison Kurpiel

Allison Kurpiel completed her PhD in Criminology at the Pennsylvania State University. Her primary area of research focuses on the experiences of youth who have been victimised, as well as youth who have been exposed to violence or the justice system in their school, home, or community. To-date, her research has examined racial and ethnic differences in fear of violence among youth and assessed the extent to which these fear differentials are mediated by school factors. 

Her dissertation investigated the risk factors and consequences of biased victimisation (or victimisation perpetrated on the basis of prejudice against the race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion of the victim) among youth in the school setting. Another project she is involved in examines juvenile justice system involvement among youth with child welfare system exposure. Underlying all her work is an interest in assessing the role of institutions (e.g., schools, juvenile and criminal justice systems) in maintaining or perpetuating social inequalities. 

In her role as a Criminology research fellow at Edinburgh Law School, her work will examine the public health implications of policing and imprisonment using linked administrative data. Her teaching interests include juvenile violence and victimisation, juvenile justice and courts, school crime, fear of crime, hate crime/biased bullying, and adolescent health. She has also taught English as a second language to students of various ages living in Thailand and China and is passionate about globalizing her teaching curriculum.

Google Scholar: Allison Kurpiel