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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
First Doctoral Student of NSU’s Institute for the Study of Human Services, Health & Justice Defends Dissertation
Roberto Santos, a doctoral student in the Criminal Justice program, has successfully completed and defended his dissertation – the first in the history of the Criminal Justice Program.
Roberto Santos
Santos’s work, entitled A Quasi-Experimental Test and Examination of Police Effectiveness in Residential Burglary and Theft from a Vehicle Micro-Time Hot Spots” was presented to the committee in September.
As a doctoral student in NSU ‘s Criminal Justice program, Santos’s research focused on whether traditional policing strategies were effective in preventing residential burglary and theft from vehicles. He looked at data over a five-year period that focused on “micro-time hot spots,” which are groupings of crime incidents (i.e. flare ups) that occur in specific places at specific times. His study showed a direct correlation between increased police presence in places of emerging crime and the decrease in residential burglary and theft from vehicles – with increases in police response time having a direct effect on overall rates.
Santos said he is deciding on an adjunct professor position and plans to eventually move from law enforcement into a full-time academic position in criminology and criminal justice so that he can share his knowledge with others.