Professor

Credentials
M.A. Ph.D., SUNY Albany
M.A. University of Western Ontario
B.A. University of Windsor

Office: 239-C DeVos
Phone: (616) 331-7132
E-mail: [email protected]

FALL 2026 OFFICE HOURS 
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS: 9:45 – 10: 30 (ASH-Location TBD), VALLEY CAMPUS
TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS: 12:45  – 1:45 (DEV 239C), CITY CAMPUS
 

Expertise

Program & Policy Evaluation, Criminology, Research Methods & Statistics, Interdisciplinary Research

About

Dr. Kierkus grew up in LaSalle, Ontario, Canada.  He did his undergraduate work at the University of Windsor, where he received his B.A. in Criminology.   He then completed an M.A. in Sociology at the University of Western Ontario; and a second M.A., as well as his Ph.D., in Criminal Justice at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany.  His research and teaching career spans more than a quarter century.

Dr. Kierkus is a statistician and mixed methods researcher, who specializes in applied program and policy evaluation.   He has published on a wide variety of topics including library science, automotive science, firearms policy, drunk driving and addiction prevention, drug and sobriety court processes, child protection mediation, human rights issues, crime and delinquency causation, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and applied security issues (including economic espionage, situational crime prevention, and cannabis industry security practice).     

Dr. Kierkus is currently teaching, or has taught, a variety of courses at GVSU: including justice in society / introduction to criminal justice qualitative and quantitative research methods, advanced data analysis, criminology, program / policy evaluation, youth culture and crime, juvenile justice processes, crime control and justice policy and the senior capstone.   He also frequently supervises undergraduate and graduate independent studies, projects and theses.

Dr. Kierkus is involved in various faculty governance activities at GVSU.   Most notably, he presently serves on the SCCJ&LS Graduate Committee.  He is also the authorizing officer for SSCJ&LS research protocols and serves as editor-in-chief for the SCCJ&LS collaborative textbook (Justice & Society: An Introduction - 3rd Edition, Kendall-Hunt Publishing).

Selected Representative Publications

• Kierkus, C. A. with Johnson, B.R., Doyon-Martin, J. and Jones, T.R. (2025). Chapters 4, 5 and 12, In Justice & Society: An Introduction (3rd Edition). Kendall-Hunt Publishing.
• Johnson, B. R., Marson-Reed, J., Kierkus, C. A., & Copeland, A. (2025). Human Rights Policies, Guidelines, and Standards in The Private Security Industry: A Scoping Review. Journal of Applied Security Research, 20(2), 189-218.
• Kierkus, C. A., Johnson, B. R., Hoffman, H., & Parks, J. (2023). DWI courts in Michigan: An examination of the interlock effect on drunk driving recidivism. Justice Evaluation Journal, 6(2), 201-218.
• Johnson, B. R., & Kierkus, C. A. (2022). Security has gone to pot: an analysis of marijuana cultivation security laws and regulations in the United States. Journal of Applied Security Research, 17(4), 497-529.
• Williams, B., Harvey, B., & Kierkus, C. (2019). Health Information Use After Graduation: Are We Preparing Our Students for Professional Practice? Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, (93).
• Schmidt, N. M., Kierkus, C. A., & Lizotte, A. J. (2015). the Odds of Injury During an Assault? An Offender-Based Analysis. Gun Violence in American Society: Crime, Justice and Public Policy, 134.
• Kierkus, C. A. (2011). Sex, Dating, and Delinquency: Do Precocious Relationships Lead to Crime? LFB Scholarly Publishing.
• Gerkin, P. M., & Kierkus, C. A. (2011). What Makes a Good Criminal Justice Professor? A Quantitative Analysis of Student Evaluation Forms. Journal of Effective Teaching, 11(2), 18-39.
• Johnson, B. R., Yalda, C. A., & Kierkus, C. A. (2010). Property crime at O’Hare international airport: An examination of the routine activities approach. Journal of Applied Security Research, 5(1), 42-63.
• Kierkus, C. A., & Hewitt, J. D. (2009). The contextual nature of the family structure/delinquency relationship. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(2), 123-132.
• Hewitt, J., Regoli, R., & Kierkus, C. (2006). Adolescent risk-taking as a justification for paternalistic legal policy. Justice Policy Journal, 3(2), 1-31.
• Kierkus, C. A., & Baer, D. (2002). A social control explanation of the relationship between family structure and delinquent behaviour. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 44(4), 425-458.
• Sokolowski, J. H., Djurdjevic, M. B., Kierkus, C. A., & Northwood, D. O. (2001). Improvement of 319 aluminum alloy casting durability by high temperature solution treatment. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 109(1-2), 174-180. 

Selected Sponsored Research

• Co-Investigator for Grant to Develop and Validate an Instrument for Measuring Experiences with Disabilities (Primary PI:  Dr. Julia Snider).
• Primary Investigator for Grant to Determine the Effectiveness of Support Housing as a means of Reducing Opiate Addiction (Co-PI: Dr. Brian R. Johnson).
• Primary Investigator for Grant to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Family Court Mediation (Co-PI: Dr. Brian R. Johnson).
• Primary Investigator for Grant to Evaluate the Efficacy of Ignition Interlocks as a Means of Preventing Repeat DUI Offending (Co-PI: Dr. Brian R. Johnson).