Shana L. Maier

Shana L. Maier, PhD

  • Director of MCJ Program
  • Professor
Media Expertise:
  • Criminal Justice
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Affiliated Programs

Education

  • PhD, Sociology (2004)
    University of Delaware (DE)
  • MA, Criminal Justice (1999)
    St. Joseph's University (PA)
  • BS, Criminal Justice (1998)
    St. Joseph's University (PA)

About Me

My most recent research focused on rape victim advocates’ perception of the #MeToo movement.  I have also examined police officers' experiences responding to rape victims and investigating rape allegations. That research culminated in a book, Rape, Victims, and Investigations, published by Routledge in June 2014.  My research on sexual violence has been published in Violence Against Women, Feminist Criminology, Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, and Women & Criminal Justice.

Recently I have expanded my research focus on sexual violence to explore students’ fear of crime on college campuses, as well as mock jurors’ comprehension of aggravating and mitigating factors in death penalty cases. 

I have co-authored articles appearing in Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, Deviant Behavior, Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, International Review of Victimology, and Women's Health and Urban Life. I am a co-author of the text Women, Men and Society (Pearson).

Research Interests

My research interests include the treatment of rape victims by the criminal justice, medical and legal systems, the transformation of rape crisis centers, and the experiences and struggles of rape victim advocates, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.   In addition, I have conducted research on the effect of marijuana legalization on crime rates, mock jurors’ understanding of sentencing instructions, and students’ fear of crime on campus.

Media Expertise

  • Rape and sexual assault
  • Perceptions and experiences of victim advocates
  • Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and detectives responding to rape victims
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Influence of gender on judicial decision-making
  • Qualitative research methods

Publications

  •  Foster, E. E., Mannes, S.M., & Maier, S. (2025). The Veteran Defendant: How combat experience and type of crime impact juror decision-making. North American Journal of Psychology, 27 (3), 323-344.
  • Maier, S.L.  (2023).  Men Too?  Victim advocates’ perceptions of the inclusion of survivors who identify as men in #MeToo.  Journal of Men’s Studies.  https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265231170498 
  • Maier, S.L. (2023).  Keepers of trauma:  Rape victim advocates’ secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and coping techniques.  Violence Against Women.  https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012231182414 
  • Maier, S.L.  (2022).  Rape victim advocates’ perceptions of the #MeToo movement: Opportunities, challenges, and sustainability.  Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38, 1-2.  https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221081929 
  • Maier, S., Mannes, S., & Foster, E.  (2021).  Mock jurors’ comprehension of aggravating and mitigating factors: The impact of timing and type of sentencing phase instructions.  Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice.
  • Maier, S.L. & DePrince, B.  (2020).  The influence of prior victimization and other factors on college students’ fear of crime and perception of safety.  The Social Science Journal. 
  • Maier, S.L., Mannes, S., & Koppenhofer, E.L.  (2017). The implications of marijuana decriminalization and legalization on crime in the United States.  Contemporary Drug Problems, 44, 2, 125-146.
  • Maier, S.L. (2014). Rape, victims, and investigations: Experiences and perceptions of law enforcement officers responding to reported rapes. Abington, Oxford, UK: Routledge.
  • Maier, S.L. (2013). Sexual assault nurse examiners' perceptions of the influence of race and ethnicity on victims' responses to rape. Feminist Criminology, 8(2), 67–86.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American Society of Criminology (ASC)

Awards

  • Widener University Outstanding Researcher Award, 2022 
  • Social Science Faculty Award for Excellence in Research (2021)
  • Widener University, Provost's Grant (2019-2020)
  • Widener University, College of Arts and Science, Outstanding Researcher Award (2010)
  • Widener University, Provost's Grant (2013–2014)
  • Widener University, College of Arts and Science, Outstanding Researcher Award (2010)

News

In the Media

Noteworthy

  • Faculty honored at 2026 awards event

    Widener University recently honored faculty members for distinction in areas of civic engagement, institutional leadership, research, as well as innovative and distinguished teaching. Various faculty received awards at the ceremony, held Oct. 28 in the University Center on the Chester campus.

    “The honorees we recognized this year reflect a standard of excellence that sets our Widener academic community apart,” said Provost Mark Nicosia. “Through devoted teaching, scholarship that makes a difference, community engagement and visionary leadership, they enhance the student experience and motivate those who work alongside them.”

    The awards included:
     

    • The Lindback distinguished teaching award, given to a faculty member who has exemplified a history of teaching at the highest level of distinction. It is endowed by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, a Philadelphia-based foundation that provides grants to institutions of higher education for the promotion of excellence in teaching. The recipient was Associate Professor of Social Work Margo Campbell.
    • The faculty award for civic engagement celebrates faculty members who have built meaningful, sustained partnerships with community organizations over multiple years, weaving real- world collaboration into their teaching, their research, or both. The award was shared this year by Erika M. Dawkins, assistant professor in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and Rebecca Vlam, assistant clinical professor in the Center for Social Work Education. 
    • The outstanding researcher award recognizes a faculty member who has participated in research and scholarship nationally or internationally, and made a significant contribution through their research, while advancing their profession or discipline as well as the university’s mission and vision. The recipient was Associate Professor of History Jordan B. Smith.
    • The Fitz Dixon innovation in teaching award highlights an individual who has designed and assessed novel, transformative teaching practices and high-impact learning experiences that significantly elevate student outcomes. This award was presented to Assistant Professor of Economics Afrouz Jahromi.
    • The faculty institutional leadership award recognizes faculty leaders who have championed major institutional initiatives, governance reforms or co-curricular programs that advance student success and strategic vision. This year’s award was shared by Associate Teaching Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ria Mazumder and Professor of Communication Studies and Digital Media Informatics Amy Franzini.
    • The distinguished university professor designation is given for a three-year term to the rare faculty members who have achieved distinction across teaching, research, civic engagement, and institutional leadership simultaneously. The designation was awarded to Professor of Criminal Justice Shana Maier and Professor of Social Work Brent A. Satterly. 

    The photo shows, from left, Ria Mazumder, Shana Maier, Afrouz Jahromi, Amy Franzini, Jordan Smith, Brent Satterly, Rebecca Vlam, Erica Dawkins, Margo Campbell.

    Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/faculty-honored-2026-awards-event

  • Outstanding Researcher Award goes to Criminal Justice faculty member

    Profession of Criminal Justice Shana Maier was honored at the 2022 faculty awards program with the Outstanding Researcher Award. 

    The award recognizes a faculty member who has exhibited distinction in scholarly work. Through their research, the recipient has made a significant contribution to advancement of their profession or discipline, and to the university’s mission and vision. 

    Maier’s research addresses society’s contemporary conflicts and hot-button issues such as student fear of crime and perception of safety; marijuana decriminalization; jury instructions; and sexual violence and victimization. Throughout her career she has established an impressive record of research as someone who undertakes complicated criminal justice and socio-legal analyses. 

    Maier has achieved an outstanding record of publication over the previous five years despite pandemic-related slowdowns of scholarly activity and production across higher education. She is committed to actively engaging undergraduate and graduate students in rigorous academic research and has recently authored four manuscripts for publication with undergraduates.

    Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/27646/