Georgian Court University’s Lakewood campus will continue to operate virtually throughout the day on Wednesday January 28, 2026. All university offices, including the library, will also operate virtually. Classes will continue online to the extent possible. Students should consult Blackboard Learn for specific course information.

For in-person classes not held on the Lakewood campus, GCU classes will follow the closure or cancellation decisions of the host location.

Nursing faculty please contact Dean Wurmser in reference to clinical attendance.

Raymond Hall Dining Room will be open from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The Café will be closed.

The Wellness Center will operate under normal hours.

Melanie Mogavero

Melanie Clark Mogavero, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Crime and Justice Studies
732-987-2389
E-MAIL ME

School:

School of Arts, Sciences, and Education

Department:

Crime and Justice Studies

Office Location:

Jeffries Hall 127A

Office Hours:

Mon 10–12 PM; Wed 11–1PM

Educational Background

  • Doctor of Philosophy – Criminal Justice – Rutgers, State University of New Jersey: Newark, NJ
  • Master of Arts – Forensic Psychology – Russell Sage College: Sage Graduate School: Albany, NY
  • Bachelor of Arts – Psychology – State University of New York at Albany: Albany, NY

Professional Experience

Academic Positions

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  • Associate Professor: Feb 2022- present – Georgian Court University, Department of Crime and Justice Studies
  • Department Chair: May 2022-May 2025, Department of Crime and Justice Studies
  • Assistant Professor: Aug 2015- Jan 2022- Georgian Court University, Department of Criminal Justice, Anthropology, Sociology, and Human Rights
  • Graduate Program Director: MA in Criminal Justice and Human Rights-  June 2019-May 2022
  • Visiting Assistant Professor: The University of Bridgeport, Department of Criminal Justice and Human Security

Student Quote:

“Dr. Mogavero and the rest of the staff at GCU have been nothing but amazing, they pushed me to be the best student I could be. I highly recommend GCU and the entire Criminal Justice Department. I appreciate the doors the Criminal Justice Department has opened for me, their kindness, and hard work. I even interviewed for the FBI thanks to GCU!! I cannot thank Dr. Mogavero enough for pushing me to do my best.”   – C. Russo, Class of 2020

Research / Creativity Interest Area

 I am a criminologist and I conduct research to inform policy. 
My research is predominantly on autistic individuals in the criminal justice system, autism and sexuality, sexual offending, and sexual offender policy.   

Scholarship and Publications

(Select, see CV for full list)

New textbook published Summer 2025!

Mogavero, M. C. (2025). Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Criminal Justice: A Guide for Students and Practitioners. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-3-031-88815-1

New Book Chapter:

Mogavero, M. C., Finrich, A., Patel, R., & Etzi, S. (2025). Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Sexual Offending. In R. J. Tully, G. Bohall, D. S. Prescott (Eds.), Best Practices in Sexual Offender Assessment and Management (pp. 541–584). Springer Publishers. 978-3-031-83134-8

Peer-reviewed Academic Journals:

  1. Hsu, K-H., Choi, J., & Mogavero, M.C. (2025). The role of social media in undergraduate students’ perceptions of police and career interest in law enforcement. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 1-29, https://doi.org/10.1080/10511253.2025.2485977
  2. Cooper, D., Frisbie, S., Wang, S., Jonas, V., Gibbs, V. Love, Abigail M. A., Mogavero, M, Benevides, T. W., Hyatt, J. M., Hooven, K., Basketbill, I., & Shea, L. (2024). What do we know about autism and policing globally? Preliminary findings from an international effort to examine autism and the criminal justice system. Autism Research, https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3203
  3. Shea, L. L., Cooper, D., Wilson, A. B., Hyatt, J., Msipa, D., Hofvander, B., Overland, S., Da Silva, W. C., Mogavero, M., Green, D., Wall, N., Lerner, M., Stahmer, A., Hooven, K., Bornman, J., Robinson, K., & Burke, J. (2024). A response to and caution of “Language is a critical mediator of autistic experiences within the criminal justice system.” Autism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3111
  4. Love, A. M. A., Gibbs, V., Cooper, D., Benevides, T. W., Mogavero, M. C., Basketbill, I. L., Shea, L. L. (2023). Creating the Global Criminal Justice Survey: A questionnaire designed to gather perspectives from autistic people and criminal justice professionals. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05835-1
  5. Mogavero, M. C., Hsu, K. H. & Bolger, P. C. (2022). A conjunctive analysis of false accusations, official misconduct, and race in violent and sexual exonerations cases. Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 40(6), 756-786. http://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2587
  6. Mogavero, M. C. (2020). An exploratory examination of intellectual disability and mental illness associated with alleged false confessions.  Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 38(4), 299-316. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2463
  7. Mogavero, M. C. & Hsu, K. H. (2020).  Dating and courtship behaviors among those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Sexuality and Disability, 38, 355-364. https:/doi.org/10.1007/s11195-019-09565-8.
  8. Mogavero, M. C.  (2019).  What do criminal justice students know about autism?  An exploratory study among future professionals.  Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 34(4), 428-438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-018-9302-0
  9. Mogavero, M. C., & Hsu, K. H. (2018).  Sex offender mobility: An Application of crime pattern theory among child sex offenders.  Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 30(8), 908-931.  https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063217712219
  10. Mogavero, M. C. & Hsu, K. H.  (2018).  Autism Spectrum Disorder and harassment: An application of attribution theory.  International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 7, 260-274.  https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2018.07.19
  11. Mogavero, M. C., & Kennedy, L. W. (2017).  The social and geographic patterns of sexual offending: Is sex offender residence restriction legislation practical?  Victims & Offenders, 12(3): 401-433.  https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2015.1084962
  12. Mogavero, M. C. (2016).  Autism, sexual offending, and the criminal justice system.  Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behavior, 7(3), 116-126.  https://dio.org/10.1108/JIDOB-02-2016-0004

Professional Conferences:

  1. Mogavero, M. C. (2025). Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Criminal Justice. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology 2025 Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., Nov. 12. https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asc/asc25/
  2. Mogavero, M. C., Shea, L., Cooper, D., Love, A., Gibbs, V., Benevides, T., Basketbill, I., Hooven, K. (2023). Criminal Justice Professionals’ Autism Knowledge and Perceptions of Confidence when Interacting with Autistic Individuals. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology 2023 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 17. https://asc41.org/events/2023-asc-annual-meeting/
  3. Mogavero, M. C. & Hsu, K. H. (2023). “Tik Tok you don’t stop”: Social Media Consumption and Criminal Justice Students’ Perceptions of Police. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology 2023 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 15. https://asc41.org/events/2023-asc-annual-meeting/
  4. Mogavero, M. C., Hsu, K. H., & Bolger, P. C. (2022). A conjunctive analysis of official misconduct, false accusations, and race in violent and sexual exoneration cases. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology 2022 Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA Nov. 16. https://asc41.org/events/2022-asc-annual-meeting/
  5. Gibbs, V., Love, A. M, Benevides, T. W., Mogavero M. C., Hooven, K. and Basketbill, I.(2022). Global Criminal Justice Survey: Initial Scale Development and Validation. Identifying Interdisciplinary and International Approaches to Address Inequities in the Criminal Justice System Contact Among Autistic Individuals May 12, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.  INSAR 2022, Austin, TX. May 11-14, https://www.autism-insar.org/page/2022AnnMtg.
  6. Mogavero, M. C. (2021). Autism, sexual offending, and the criminal justice system. Sexuality in Neurodivergent Individuals.  Sept. 1, 2021. The University at Salford, Manchester, UK. https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/event-sexuality-neurodivergent-individuals
  7. Mogavero, M. C. (2020). Taking stock of wrongful convictions: A Conjunctive Analysis of The National Registry of Exonerations.  Paper Accepted at the American Society of Criminology 76th Annual Meeting, Washington D.C. (meeting canceled due to COVID-19). https://asc41.org/events/2020-asc-annual-meeting/
  8. Mogavero, M. C. (2019). An exploratory examination of cognitive ability and other legal and extra-legal risk factors associated with false confessions. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology 75th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. https://asc41.org/events/2019-asc-annual-meeting/

Additional Information

National Certified Law Enforcement Instructor No. 000368 (International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST)

Student Scholarship Mentorship

  • Taragin, Z. PsyD. 2024. Doctoral Dissertation. School Psychology. Georgian Court University.  Dissertation Title: Home Sweet Home: The Moderating Role of Home Involvement on Gender and Parental Self-Stigma
  • Russo, MA, 2020. Master’s Thesis Title: Bail Reform: County by County in New Jersey

Courses Taught at GCU

Graduate
        • CJ511 Research Design
        • CJ510 Criminal Justice Research Methods
        • CJ565: Selected Topics: Sex Crimes
        • CJ565: Selected Topics: Independent Research
        • CJ520 Victimology
        • CJ590 Capstone
Undergraduate
        • CJ410 Independent Research in Criminal Justice
        • CJ401 Sex Crimes
        • CJ331 Research Methods in Criminal Justice
        • CJ353 Victimology
        • CJ320 Special Populations in the Criminal Justice System
        • WS311 Shaping Lives: Women and Gender
        • CJ231 Juvenile Justice
        • SO201 Social Statistics
        • CJ200 Theories of Crime
        • CJ111 The Criminal Justice System
        • CJ110 Writing in Criminal Justice
        • GEN101 Pathway to the Bridge

Service and Contributions to Georgian Court University

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Department

    • Department Chair: Crime & Justice Studies, May 2022- May 2025
    • Graduate Program Director: MA Criminal Justice & Human Rights, June 2019- May 2022
    • Faculty Search Committee, Chair: Criminal Justice (AY 2017-2018)

School

  • Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee- Committee Chair (AY 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020; 2020-2021) and Secretary (AY 2015-2016)
  • Faculty Search Committee: History & Politics (AY 2019-2020)
  • Faculty Search Committee: Integrative Health (AY 2018-2019)
  • Faculty Search Committee: Exercise Science (AY 2016-2017)

University

  • Institutional Effectiveness Committee (AY 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024–2026; 2025–2026)
  • Student Concerns Committee (AY 2018-2019; 2019-2020; 2020-2021, 2021-2022)
  • Student Retention Committee (AY 2019-2020; 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024)
  • Policy Manual Subcommittee (AY 2023-2024)
  • Executive Committee of the Faculty Assembly- Representative for the Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee (AY 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020; 2020-2021
  • General Education Curriculum Committee (AY 2016-2017, 2017-2018; 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024), Chair (AY 2025–2026)

Media Contributions

Social Media:

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ResearchGate

Vita

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