He received his bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth,his master's degree in criminal justice at Washington State University, and his Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, where he specialized in criminological theory and corrections. His recent research includes examining the impact of childhood abuse on female criminal behavior, evaluating the impact of adolescent delinquency on social development, and the development of a risk assessment system for offenders in the State of Ohio. He currently teaches CRMJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice, CRMJ 233 Criminology, CRMJ 361 Correctional Intervention and CRMJ 362 Community Corrections.