Thomas Baker

Associate Professor, University of Central Florida

Areas of Expertise

  • Correctional populations
  • Perceptions of crime
  • Criminal offending
  • Incarceration

Key Findings

  • Two different groups of offenders emerged, individuals that peaked as adolescents and others that were chronic offenders. MORE
  • High chronic offenders had the highest percentage of police contacts for prior violent encounters. MORE
  • Officers’ frustration facilitates both emotional and cognitive fear. MORE
  • Officers who are less educated and those that work in female facilities report lower emotional and cognitive fear. MORE
  • Women also indicated they had substantial worry about dealing with the perceived family challenges and stigma once they were released. MORE
  • Receiving letters from children and parents decreased prisoner concern about reentry. MORE

Biography

Thomas Baker, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida, is an expert in correctional populations, public perceptions of crime, and criminal offending.

Baker received the 2016 Faculty Research Fellowshipawarded by the College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida and the Great Minds Awardpresented by the Virginia Commonwealth University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi for his valuable contributions to the teaching mission of the University. He is an active member of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).

He has been published in several journals including Criminology, Journal of Experimental Criminology, and Crime & Delinquency.

Baker earned his Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. in Criminology from Florida State University.