Biography
Biography
Using multidisciplinary perspectives, Ross has conducted influential research on protection orders, actuarial risk assessment, intimate partner homicide, and lethality prediction. His work has highlighted the roles of firearm access, mental health, coercive control, and systemic interventions in victim safety and offender accountability, contributing to more evidence-based approaches to violence prevention and risk management.
Ross combines academic scholarship with extensive professional experience. He has served as a facilitator in Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) and as a qualified expert witness in domestic violence litigation, bringing practical insight to his research on courts, corrections, and community-based interventions.
His scholarship also examines the cultural forces that shape violence and social control, including religion, popular music, and community narratives. His current research focuses on intimate partner violence during separation and divorce—one of the highest-risk periods for serious violence and victimization.
A prolific author and editor, Ross has published four books since 2020, including Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice (2nd ed., 2025), Cultural Diversity and the Administration of Justice (2024), Musical Lyrics and Domestic Violence: The Soundtracks of Our Lives (2022), and Readings in Cultural Diversity and Criminal Justice (2020).
Beyond family violence, his work has contributed to the study of delinquency, social inequality, and public perceptions of law enforcement. Across his scholarship, Ross emphasizes rigorous research, evidence-based policy, and practical solutions that strengthen communities, inform professional practice, and advance criminal justice reform.
- Domestic Violence Research
- Race, Crime, and Justice
- Intimate Partner Homicide
- (1981) B.A., Niagara University
- (1983) M.A, Rutgers University
- (1991) Ph.D. Rutgers University
Research
- Intimate Partner Violence Among African-Americans
- Race, Crime, and Justice
- Domestic and family Violence
- Religion and Restorative Justice
Awards
- 2021 - Guest Editor of Special Issue “Religion and Crime." Available at www.mdpi.com
2020 - Becky Tatum Academic Excellence Award, Presented by the Women & Minorities Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, San Antonio, TX - 2019 - University Travel Award to present research findings at the European Society of Criminology in Ghent, Belgium.
- 2017 - Faculty Member of the Game (UCF v. USF), Academic Services for Student-Athletes, University of Central Florida
- 2016 - University Travel Award to present research findings at the European Society of Criminology in Porto, Portugal.
- 2016 - Research Sabbatical, College of Health & Public Affairs University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 32816-1600
- 2012 - Faculty Recognition Award, College Reach-Out Program (CROP), University of Central Florida
- 2012 - Faculty Certificate of Appreciation, Leadership and Mentoring Program University of Central Florida
- 2011 - UCF Teaching Fellow, UCF Teaching Academy
- 2011 - Outstanding Mentor Award, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Toronto, Canada (Annual Meeting)
- 2011 - COHPA Research Fellow, University of Central Florida, Department of Criminal Justice
- 2010 - Faculty Recognition Award Student Disability Services (SDES), University of Central Florida Orlando
- 2009 - Outstanding Faculty Award, Black Female Development Circle, Inc., University of Central Florida.
- 2005 - Provost Fellow Internship, Department of Criminal Justice & Legal Studies, University of Central Florida
Courses
- 4907H: Honors Research Methods
- CCJ3014: Crime in America
- CCJ3024: Criminal Justice Systems
- CCJ4129: Cultural Diversity and the Criminal Justice System
- CCJ4681: Domestic Violence and Systems Responses
- CCJ5456: Criminal Justice Administration
- CCJ6704: Criminal Justice Research Methods
- CCJ6669: Race, Crime, and Justice
- CCJ4934: Emergent Issues: Intimate Partner Homicide