Researcher biography

Suzanna received her PhD in Sociology at the University of Washington where she concentrated on comparative perspectives of crime, immigration, and neighborhood action as well as methodology via association with the Centre for Statistics and the Social Sciences. Her recent work centers around three themes that are related to multiple aspects of crime and the justice system. The first theme examines the comparative context of crime and considers how different people perceive crime and criminals particularly in the neighborhood context. The second considers how perceptions of gun regulation by police, dealers, and the community influence debate and enforcement of Australia's gun laws and consider these consequences across time and space. The third, considers the perceptions of child maltreatment and abuse and it's consequences for reporting, monitoring, and court outcomes for children and families. Underscoring all three themes are sociological questions of race and ethnic stratification, and how perceptions of crime influence individual actions.

Areas of research