Stephen Morewitz Publishes New Book on Forensic Social Sciences

Stephen Morewitz

This new book by Professor Stephen Morewitz discusses how forensic social scientists are providing evidence in the courtroom through expert testimony, how forensic evidence is being used in criminal cases, and how these practices are changing the law. The book also shows how the richness in the social sciences, for example, drawing from fields as diverse as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, contributes in important ways to the growing field of forensic science. The book discusses forensic environmental studies, forensic archaeology, and forensic anthropology.

 

Morewitz, Stephen J. Forensic Social Sciences: Theory, Research, and Practice. Solana Beach, CA: Cognella Academic Publishing, 2025.

Justin Strong and Ernst Chavez Publishes Study on Prisoners Death

Justin Strong

Professor Justin Strong and SJSU alum Ernest Chavez published a study “Death and disappearance: Measuring racial disparities in mortality and life expectancy among people in state prisons, United States 2000–2014” on prisoner who died in prison across 44 states in the US from 2010 to 2014. They found that prisoner deaths dropped between 2010 to 2014, and mostly older men died during this period. But they also found that men in their 30s were dying at similar rates as men in their early 20s. The group that did the best (had the biggest change in longer lives) were Black men. The authors conclude that the efforts to keep men alive longer in prison are working but more research is needed to figure out what works over a longer time period and for which groups.

Paul Knepper Publishes a Chapter on Criminology Theory

Paul Knepper

In this chapter, Professor Paul Knepper describes how the thinking about what causes crime has changed from the 1800s to the 1960s. Causes of crime have changed from more about individual people (size and shape of the brain and their biological traits) to more social explanations (neighborhood upheaval). These theories helped create the discipline of criminology after WWII. Later, researchers started to question these theories and federal government policies in response to crime.

Paul Knepper, “Theories of Crime in American History” Pp 23-42 in James Campbell and Vivien Miller, eds, The Routledge History of Crime in America.  New York: Routledge, 2025.

Asha Weinstein Agrawal Was Appointed to the Federal System Finance Alternative Advisory Board

Asha Weinstein Agrawal

Dr. Agrawal will serve on a 15-member board advising the U.S. Department of Transportation on a pilot program to test a national mileage-based user fee, a key initiative under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With decades of expertise in transportation finance and strong industry endorsements, Dr. Agrawal is well-positioned to contribute to this critical effort in shaping the future of transportation funding.

Costanza Rampini Publishes Article on the ‘Double-Exposure’ of Communities in India to Dams and Climate Change

Costanza Rampini

Costanza Rampini (Environmental Studies) published an article “The ‘Double-Exposure’ of Riverine Communities in Northeast India to Dams and Climate Change”. 

Northeast India is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on the flows of the Brahmaputra river. At the same time, aggressive hydropower development efforts along the Brahmaputra are modifying its flows and the region’s riparian landscapes. Using a case study, this paper assesses the vulnerability of riverine communities in Northeast India to climate change impacts on the Brahmaputra River, in the context of dam-building efforts. Data from key informant interviews with local officials, and semi-structured interviews with households downstream of the Ranganadi Hydroelectric Project is used to argue that hydropower development enhances local communities’ vulnerability to variations in river flows. Results show that, by focusing on hydroelectricity generation over flood control and environmental flows, dams along the Brahmaputra are worsening floods, reducing winter season flows, and increasing overall flow variability, hence compounding the impacts of climate change on river flows. This research helps us understand how interacting stressors are changing the riparian landscapes of Northeast India with important implications for local communities and the future of the region.