Marie Mele Thomas

Associate Professor

Social inequality and crime, victimization, interpersonal violence, victim advocacy

Dr. Mele Thomas obtained her PhD in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University, and her MA in Justice, Law, and Society from American University. Before joining academia, Dr. Mele Thomas worked as a program specialist with the National Institute of Justice, and a victim advocate with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office in Morristown, NJ. Her research on victimization and intimate partner violence has been published in Journal of Family Violence, Journal of Crime and Justice, and Journal of Current Issues in Crime, Law, and Law Enforcement. Her teaching and research interests include social inequality and crime, victimization, interpersonal violence, and victim advocacy.

Selected Publications

Mele, M. (2018). Police response to domestic violence: The influence of extralegal factors on arrest decisions. Partner Abuse, 9(3), 215-229.

Mele, M. (2017). Victim advocacy. In Maschi, T., Bradley, C., & Ward, K. (Eds.) Forensic Social Work: Psychosocial and Legal Issues in Diverse Practice Settings, 2nd Edition. Lyceum Books, Inc.

Mele, M. (2017). Improving police records of repeat domestic violence: A case study. In Moriarty, L.J., & Jerin, R.A. (Eds). Current Issues in Victimology Research, 3rd Edition. Carolina Academic Press.

Mele, M., Roberts, J. C., & Wolfer, L. (2011). Men who seek protection orders against female intimate partners. Partner Abuse, 2(1), 1-15.

Mele, M. (2009). The time course of repeat intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence, 24(8), 619-624.

Courses Taught

CRIM 495 Capstone in Criminology, Law and Society

CRIM 307 Social Inequality, Crime and Justice

CRIM 404 Victims and Victimization

CRIM 315 Research Methods

Education

Ph.D. Criminal Justice
Rutgers University, Newark, NJ

M.S. Justice, Law & Society
American University, Washington, DC

B.S. Law & Justice
The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ