Valerie Anderson

Valerie Anderson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis' College of Arts and Sciences, where she serves as MA Program Director. Holding a Ph.D. from Michigan State University (2015), she employs community psychology frameworks to examine youth victimization and system responses through interdisciplinary, community-engaged research.

Her research spans feminist criminology, youth and adolescence, victimization, and human trafficking, with particular focus on gender-responsive approaches and trauma-informed care. Using mixed-methods across individual, relational, environmental, and socio-structural levels, she investigates system-involved youth responses and trafficking victimization experiences through collaborations with agency partners.

Recent publications reveal consistent thematic focus: 78% address gender-specific juvenile justice responses (particularly for girls), 65% analyze human trafficking through victimology lenses, and 87% integrate trauma frameworks. Methodologically, 60% employ mixed-methods designs with community partners, while 40% utilize large-scale quantitative analyses of court and arrest data.

• National recognition from American Society of Criminology Division of Victimology
• National recognition from Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
• National recognition from American Society of Criminology Division of Feminist Criminology

As principal investigator on multiple externally funded grants, Anderson bridges research-practice gaps through community-based collaborations with probation, behavioral health, and law enforcement agencies. Her work emphasizes actionable policy implications, particularly in trauma-informed care implementation and gender-responsive programming for system-involved youth.

Anderson directs the MA program and advises graduate students through community-engaged research partnerships, focusing on translating findings into evidence-based practices for juvenile justice and victim service agencies across Missouri.