Bitna Kim

Dr. Bitna Kim is a Professor and PhD Coordinator in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), housed within the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs. She holds a PhD in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University (2008), an MA in Psychology from Chung-buk National University (2001), and a BA in Psychology (1999). Her research focuses on evidence-based crime prevention, meta-analyses of social inequality and crime, international criminology, and police-community partnerships. She leads the Center for Research in Criminology at IUP and serves as policy expert for the Crime and Justice Research Alliance.

Notable professional roles include executive counselor for the International Division of the American Society of Criminology and chair of the Korean Association for Crisis and Emergency Management. Her recent work addresses income inequality’s impact on crime, domestic homicide dynamics, and campus carry gun policies. Awards include the 2016 Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and 2020 Outstanding Teacher recognition. She has advised numerous international collaborations and delivered workshops in China, South Korea, and Thailand.

Key grants include systematic reviews on poverty, race and crime, and prison rape models. Current projects explore police response models for mental health crises and the efficacy of crisis intervention teams (CIT). Her work bridges academic research with practitioner training, emphasizing evidence-based practices in criminal justice systems.