Tara Richards

Biography

Tara N. Richards’s primary areas of research include intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and the role of gender in criminal justice system processes. Richards’s current research includes an investigation of the Lethality Assessment Program’s role in service utilization and empowerment among survivors of intimate partner violence and an examination of compliance with federally mandated policies and suggested best practices for campus sexual assault using a large, nationally representative sample of universities and colleges. Dr. Richards also serves as a co-investigator on a process evaluation for Colorado’s Domestic Violence Offender Management Board. Some of Richards’s previous research has examined intimate partner homicide and capital punishment, specialization vs. versatility among domestic violence offenders, and the role of social support in adolescent dating violence perpetration and victimization. Richards’s recent research has been published in Child Abuse and Neglect, Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Criminal Justice, and Law and Human Behavior and she is the co-editor of the book, Sexual Victimization: Then and Now. Her research on media presentation of intimate partner homicide was a finalist for the “2013 article of the year” in the journal Violence Against Women. Dr. Richards serves as a faculty representative on UB’s Title IX leadership team, has testified before the Maryland General Assembly on sexual assault in higher education, and has been called as an expert witness regarding the dynamics of intimate partner violence. Dr. Richards is the recipient of the 2014 American Society of Criminology Division on Women and Crime's New Scholar Award. She serves on the Board of the Maryland Partnership Against Child Sexual Abuse and has been honored by the University of South Florida’s Department of Criminology for her policy relevant scholarship concerning intimate partner violence and her service to adolescent dating violence prevention efforts.

Research Interest

Intimate Partner Violence Sexual Victimization Campus Gender Based Violence Role of Gender in Criminal Justice Processes Mental Health Substance Abuse Violence/Trauma