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Rebecca K . Murray, MA, PhD

Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Professor

Contact

College of Arts and Sciences
Cultural & Social Studies
Criminal Justice
EPLY - Eppley Building - 212

Rebecca K . Murray, MA, PhD

Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Professor

Dr. Rebecca Murray is the Associate Dean of Social and Applied Sciences for the Creighton College of Arts and Sciences.  She received her Ph.D. In Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska in 2005 and has been at Creighton since then as a Sociology and now Criminal Justice faculty.  She served as chair of the Department of Cultural and Social Studies from 2012-2016.   Dr. Murray has served in several roles of faculty governance, serving two terms as Vice President of the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate, and has been an active member of the steering committee for the College's Mission Catalysts.  She has authored/co-authored 3 books and over a dozen articles that research a number of topics, including  the spatial analysis of crime,  and the effect of urban structures on crime and violence. She has also been the Primary Investigator for two grants (one federal and one state), which have supported the creation and operation of the Nebraska Victim Assistance Academy, which is located at Creighton but which serves victim advocates across the state.  She has also been the recipeint of several local grants, one of which is supporting her current research looking at judicial discretion in domestic violence protection orders.  She has partnered with the city of Omaha in evaluating several grants, including the federal Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant, and aiding numerous non-profit agencies with evaluating their effots at violence intervention and prevention. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Police Research and Policy Group, as well as the Nebraska Innocence Project.  

Teaching Interests

  • Criminal Justice

Research Focus

Spatial analysis of crime
Victim advocacy
Wrongful convictions
Sociology of Religion

Department

Cultural and Social Studies

Position

Professor

Books

  • Wolters-Kluwer
    Using Statistics in Criminal Justice  2016
  • Routledge
    Murray, Rebecca; Gegner, Laurel; Pelton, Justin. Policies, Procedures and the Police: An Assessment of Wrongful Conviction Risk in Nebraska. Making Justice: Wrongful Conviction and Criminal Justice Reform. 2012
  • CRC Press- Taylor and Francis Group
    Crank, John; Murray, Rebecca; Irlbeck, Dawn; Sundermeier, Mark. Mission Based Policing. 2011
  • Jones and Bartlett
    Murray, Rebecca Examining Measurement Issues in Alcohol Establishment Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Theory, Research Methods and Statistics, p. 73-92 2010
  • Jones and Bartlett
    Murray, R. K. Chapter 13: Limited Dependent Variables in Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Analysis and Interpretation., p. 301-323 2005

Articles

  • Advances in Applied Sociology
    Concept Measurement in Alcohol Serving Establishments
    8(1), p. 1-24 2018
  • Wiley-Blackwell
    Murray, Rebecca. Innocence Project. In: The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2013
  • Crime & Delinquency
    Murray, Rebecca K., Swatt, Marc L. Disaggregating the Relationship Between Schools and Crime: A Spatial Analysis
    59, p. 163-190 2013
  • Police Practice & Research: An International Journal
    Crank, John, Irlbeck, Dawn, Murray, Rebecca, Sundermeier, Mark Mission-based policing: Rethinking the relationship of police to crime
    13, p. 103-120 2012
  • Criminal Justice Review
    Murray, Rebecca K. and Roneck, Dennis W. Measuring Diffusion of Assults around Bars through Radius and Adjacency Techniques.
    33, p. 199-220 2008
  • Journal of Social and Ecological Boundaries
    Murray, Rebecca K. Immigrant Communities and Media Perceptions of Place
    3, p. 33-52 2008
  • Journal of Drug Issues
    Herz, Denise, Murray, Rebecca Exploring Arrestee Drug Use in Rural Nebraska
    33, p. 99-118 2003

Publications

  • Local Initiatives Support Corporation
    Evolution of the Researcher-PractitionerPartner Model and the Role of Academic Research Partners in Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Grants 2015
  • ACJS Today
    Murray, Rebecca. Researchers, Police and Crime Analysts: A Conversation with the Deaf and a Tour with the Blind.
    37, p. 13-19 2012
  • Otoe County Drug Resistance Program
    Murray, Rebecca K. (Ed.). All Stars Evaluation 2008-2009: Final Report. 2009

Editing and Reviews

  • Journal of Criminal Justice Education
    Murray, Rebecca K. [Review of Mason, S. (Director). 2008 Writ Writer [motion picture] United States: Passage Productions and Independent Television Service].
    20 2009
  • Choice
    Murray, Rebecca K. [Review of Gustavsson, Bengt. (ed.) the principles of knowledge creation: research methods in the soical sciences. E.Elgar, 2007]. 2008

Federal

  • External: 2012 - 2016, Omaha "Reentry, Integrative Service, and Engagement (RISE) Initiative Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Grant

Other

  • Internal: Faculty Summer Research Fellowship recipient: "Policies, Procedures, and the Police: An Assessment of Wrongful Conviction Risk in Nebraska"

Foundation/Association

  • Domestic Violence and the Judicial Response to Persons Seeking Orders of Protection.

Awards

  • Service Award
    In appreciation for outstanding service to the university with Strategic Planning
    Strategic Planning Committee
  • Rising Star Alumni Award
    Presented to an alumnus for a rapid record of accomplishments reflecting the education received in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha
    University of Nebraska at Omaha
  • Finalist - Outstanding Book Award 2011
    Nominee along with Dr. Dawn Irlbeck for Outstanding Book of 2011 for Mission Based Policing
    Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
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