Cynthia Calkins

Dr. Cynthia Calkins is an Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a Master of Legal Studies from the University of Nebraska, with postdoctoral training at Monash University. Her research focuses on empirical evidence for sex offender policy, sexual violence prevention, and desistance processes among offenders. She has led multiple federal grants examining sexual violence perpetration risk markers, desistance factors, and prevention strategies in Latino communities.

Education:

• PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2003)
• MLS in Law-Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2002)
• MA, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1997)
• BA, State University of New York at Buffalo (1995)

Research interests include sex offender policy evaluation, sexual violence prevention in institutional settings, and cultural adaptations of prevention strategies. Her work bridges forensic psychology and criminal justice policy, emphasizing evidence-based approaches.

Major grants include NIJ-funded studies on sexual violence prevention and desistance processes, totaling over $500,000. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects like identifying risk factors among clergy sex offenders and analyzing factors promoting desistance from sexual offending. Current projects address sexual violence prevention in Latino communities.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the John Jay College's Forensic Psychology Research Group and the CUNY Justice Project.