She received her PhD in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. She also holds a master's degree in criminal law from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her book-length publications include the Press and Media Law Manual (2002) and Terrorism in India (2006). She also has served as executive editor of the Buffalo Criminal Law Review. Her research areas include police and prison officers' civil liabilities for the use of Tasers and stun guns, ethical issues in criminal justice, forced medication of death row inmates to induce synthetic sanity, the federal judiciary, and terrorism. She is a licensed attorney in New York.