
- lentzt@uwm.edu
- 414-251-6685
- Enderis Hall 1145
Theodore S. Lentz, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice & Criminology
Theodore S. Lentz, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research areas are criminal legal system analysis, youth and community justice, gun violence, decision-making, and social networks.
Dr. Lentz is currently working on multiple grant-funded projects, including a data landscape analysis of the criminal legal system in Milwaukee County, a community-led justice data needs assessment, two evaluations of community partnership programs to prevent gun violence victimization, and survey research to understand youth social network processes. He is interested in partnerships with community organizations and local governance to advance justice system transformation.
Dr. Lentz teaches Criminological Theory and Policy and Introduction to Criminal Justice at the undergraduate level. At the graduate-level, he teaches Issues in Law Enforcement Policy and Practice, and Advanced Analytic Techniques for Crime Analysts. He also serves on student dissertation committees, the social welfare PhD program committee, HBSSW graduate admissions committee, peacebuilding programs advisory committee, and the UWM online program council.
Education:
- Ph.D., Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2020
- M.S., Criminal Justice, Texas State University, 2016
- B.A., Criminal Justice & Geography, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2014
Professional Interests:
- Criminal legal system analysis
- Gun violence
- Youth and community justice
- Decision-making
- Social networks
- Spatial criminology
Current Committee Service:
- PhD program committee
- Graduate admissions committee
- Peacebuilding programs advisory committee
- Online program council
Professional Affiliations:
- American Society of Criminology
- Divisions: Communities and Place, Critical Criminology and Social Justice
Media Coverage:
- What can new federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention do to prevent gun violence? Wisconsin Public Radio (Sept. 25, 2023)
- Got something to say about crime and justice in Milwaukee? Here's your chance. Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (March 15, 2023)
- Milwaukee's Soaring Homicide Rate Renews the Debate Over Cash Bail TIME (October 7, 2022)
- Scared To Talk: What's Fueling the Deadly Crime Wave in Milwaukee
Patch.com (March 31, 2022) - Over 11,500 vehicles were stolen across the Milwaukee area in 2021. The trend doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (January 14, 2022)
- Gun Violence Crisis MKElifestyle (December 22, 2021)
Publications:
- Vogel, M.S., T.S. Lentz, & W. Steenbeek. (in press). Contested neighborhood boundaries and racial violence. Crime and Delinquency. Refereed.
- Lentz, T.S., R.H. Konkel, H. Gallagher**, & D. Ratkowski. (2022). A multilevel examination of the association between COVID-19 restrictions and residence-to-crime distance. Crime Science, 11. Refereed.
- Huebner, B.M., T.S. Lentz, & M. Gibson. Systematic case review strategies: An application for jail population reduction. Justice Quarterly, 37(7): 1261-76. Refereed.
- Huebner, B. M., Lentz, T. S., & Schafer, J. A. (2020). Heard shots–call the police? An examination of citizen responses to gunfire. Justice Quarterly, 39(4): 673-696. Refereed.
- Hipple, N. K., Huebner, B. M., Lentz, T. S., McGarrell, E. F., & O'Brien, M. (2020). The case for studying criminal nonfatal shootings: Evidence from four Midwest cities. Justice Evaluation Journal, 3(1), 94-113.
- Lauritsen, J. L., & Lentz, T. S. (2019). National and local trends in serious violence, firearm victimization, and homicide. Homicide Studies, 23(3), 243-261.
- Lentz, T. S. (2018). Crime diversity: Reexamining crime richness across spatial scales. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 34(3), 312-335.
Published Reports:
- Lentz, T.S., S. Sharif, & J. Woehrer. (in press). Milwaukee County Criminal Legal System Landscape 1.0 Report.
- Early, A., L. Kemper, T.S. Lentz, B. Mathias, K. Pryor, & M. Vogel. (2023). Cure Violence St. Louis Evaluation Final Report. Washington University.
- Huebner, B.M., T.S. Lentz, & J.A. Schafer. (2019). Citizen responses to gunfire in St. Louis. Creating Whole Communities Research Brief 3:1. University of Missouri – St. Louis.
- McKenna, J.M., T.S. Lentz, & K. Gower. (2016). Campus safety and security needs assessment report: 2015-2016. San Marcos, TX: Texas School Safety Center.
- McKenna, J.M., T.S. Lentz, & K. Gower. (2016). Texas school safety practices survey: 2015-2016. San Marcos, TX: Texas School Safety Center.