Danielle T. Cooper, Ph.D., CPP

Danielle T. Cooper, Ph.D., CPP Image
Associate Professor
Director of Research of Tow Youth Justice Institute

Criminal Justice Department
Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences
Education

Ph.D. Criminology, Law, & Society, University of Florida, 2015
M.A. Criminology, Law, & Society, University of Florida, 2011
B.S. Justice Systems, Truman State University, 2009

Dr. Cooper's Curriculum Vitae

About Dr. Cooper

Danielle T. Cooper, PhD, CPP is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and the Director of Research at the Tow Youth Justice Institute at the University of New Haven. She additionally serves as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Undergraduate Committee and Co-Chair of the IDEA Council.

Dr. received her B.S. in Justice Systems (with a minor in Business Administration) in 2009, her M.A. in Criminology from the University of Florida in 2011, and her Ph.D. in Criminology (with a minor in Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits) from the University of Florida in 2015. She is also a Certified Prevention Professional (certified in FL and CT) who works with nonprofits and community organizations as a prevention trainer and evaluation consultant.

For more than 15 years, she has been conducting research and teaching in the areas of youths and young adults, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, criminological theory, and sex offending. As a committed Educator, Researcher, and Preventionist, she brings her expertise to various practical discussions on juvenile justice policy reform, the experiences of individuals committing sexual offenses, and police-authority dynamics within fragile and marginalized communities. Through her work with the local community, she has collaborated with key stakeholders, such as youth and their parents, young adults, educators, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and youth serving organizations.

Over the past few years, Dr. Cooper has been honored with the 2019 Faculty of the Year Award, 2021 MO-KAN-NE TRIO Achiever Alumni Award, the 2021 Faculty Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging Award, and the 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Faculty Award. She also completed her two-year role as one of four inaugural Faculty Teaching Fellows for the Center for Teaching Excellence appointed in 2021. Most recently, in 2024, she was awarded a fellowship to participate in the Faculty Leadership Program hosted by the RAND Pardee Graduate School.

In the past year, Dr. Cooper also completed several multi-year grants. Through her work focused on diversionary services and racial and ethnic disparities among justice-involved youths in Connecticut, she served as the Principal Investigator of a grant awarded from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in 2018. Additionally, through her work focused on improving youth and police relations in the greater Hartford area, she served as the co-Principal Investigator of a grant awarded from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Travelers’ Championship in 2021.

Recently Published Peer Reviewed Articles

Garrett, D.*, Tosto, S. A.*, and Cooper, D. T. (2024, Forthcoming). Connecticut’s Juvenile Review Boards: A Piece of The Puzzle in Restorative Front-End Diversion Efforts. Criminal Justice Review.

Bailey, D.J.S., Klein, J.L., Cooper, D. T., and Sample, L. (2023). Contextualizing the effects of Sexual Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) policies on employment and economic status of persons convicted of sexual offenses. Journal of Crime and Criminal Behavior, 3(1), 1-18.

Yasuhara, K., Morreale, K.*, Talley, D.*, Cooper, D. T., Hoy‐Watkins, M., & Coker, K. L. (2022). Psychiatric disorders among employment requiring firearms. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 41(1), 19-29.

Klein, J.L., Bailey, D.J.S., and Cooper, D. T. (2020). Moral panics and the Community Attitudes toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) Scale: Does the perpetual panic over sex offenders predict participant attitudes toward this group? Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law and Society, 21(3), 69-86.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (2019). “Punitive attitudes toward sex offenders: Do moral panics cause community members to be more punitive?” Criminal Justice Policy Review, 30(6), 948-968. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403418767251.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (2018). “Deviant cyber-sexual activities in young adults: exploring prevalence and predictions using in-person sexual activities and social learning theory.” Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(2), 619-630. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-018-1251-2.

Cooper, D. T. and Klein, J.L. (2018). Examining college students’ differential deviance: A partial test of social structure-social learning theory. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(5), 602-622. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1443868.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (Forthcoming, 2018). "Young Adults’ Deviant Cyber-Sexual Activities: Exploring Prevalence and Predictions Using In-Person Sexual Activities and Social Learning Theory." Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Cooper, D. T. and Klein, J.L. (2017). "College Students’ Online Pornography Use: Contrasting General and Specific Structural Variables with Social Learning Variables". American Journal of Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://rdcu.be/zyIH.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (2017). "Do perceptions of statutory rape vary based on offender and victim pairings? Testing the effects of race and gender". Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice, 13(1), 33-50. Retrieved from http://dev.cjcenter.org/_files/apcj/APCJ%20SPRING%202017-klein.pdf_1495141894.pdf.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (2016). "Trial by Error: A Content Analysis of the Media Coverage Surrounding the Jerry Sandusky Trial". Justice Policy Journal, 13(1). Retrieved from http://www.cjcj.org/uploads/cjcj/documents/jpj_trial_by_error.pdf.

Tolson, D. and Klein, J.L. (2015). “Stifling Social Capital: How Community Notification Alienates Registered Sex Offenders”. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2014.966221.

Klein, J.L. and Tolson, D. (2015). “Wrangling Rumors of Corruption: Institutional Neutralization of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal at PSU.” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2014.983258.

Recent National Conference Presentations

*Indicates Undergraduate or Graduate Student Co-Author.

Cooper, D. T. (2023). Mindful Notetaking to Empower You in Love, Play and Work. Poster presented at the Faculty Women of Color 12th Annual Conference, Arlington, VA.

Korotchenko, S., Gentle-Genitty, C., Travis Jr., R., Marshall, I., Nason, E., Choiu, M., Cooper, D. T., Coker, K., Neilson, M.*, and Jones, K.* (2023). Can Social Support Mitigate the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Neighborhood Context on Delinquency? Paper presented at the 49th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Boyd, L.M. and Cooper, D. T (2023). Rethinking Police Training and Youth Engagement. Paper presented at the 49th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Cooper, D. T. (2023). Contrasting the Legality of Escalating Responses During Encounters Between Police Officers and Community Members. Paper presented at Criminology Consortium Annual Meeting (Online).

Cooper, D. T. (2023). Enhancing DEI Strategies for Campus Climate through Racial and Restorative Justice Lenses. Paper presented at the Black Doctoral Network 12th Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

Morgan, J..*, Brant, S., Tosto, S.*, Klee, P.*, Boyd, L.M., and Cooper, D. T. (2023). CIYPR Monthly Evaluation of Officer Feedback and Observations While Developing Youth Partnerships. Paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 60th Annual Meeting, National Harbor, MD.

Boyd, L.M. and Cooper, D. T (2022). Intersectionality in the Development and Execution of Programming to Advance Community Policing and Youth Partnerships. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Tosto, S.*, Morgan, J..*, Brant, S.*, Boyd, L.M., and Cooper, D. T. (2022). CIYPR Evaluation of Pre-Post-Post Tests of Participants’ Knowledge and Experiences Improving Youth and Police Relations. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Morgan, J..*, Brant, S., Tosto, S.*, Klee, P.*, Boyd, L.M., and Cooper, D. T. (2022). CIYPR Monthly Evaluation of Officer Feedback and Observations While Developing Youth Partnerships. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Korotchenko, S., Gentle-Genitty, C., Travis Jr., R., Marshall, I., Nason, E., Choiu, M., Cooper, D. T., Coker, K., Neilson, M.*, and Jones, K.* (2022). How To Be Happy Even If There Is A Lot Going Wrong in Your Li fe: A Comparison of UK and US Teens. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Cooper, D. T., Wooldridge, J.L., Bailey, D.J.S., and Sample, L. (2022). Contrasting the Economic Impact of Registering as a Sex Offender on Parents and Nonparents. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Bailey, D.J.S., Wooldridge, J.L., Cooper, D. T., and Sample, L. (2022) Contextualizing the effects of Sexual Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) policies on employment and economic status of persons convicted of sexual offenses. Paper presented at the 48th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Cooper, D. T., and Boyd, L.M. (2022). Advancing Youth Justice Through Authentic Police Engagement. Workshop presented at the 10th Black Doctoral Network Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Cooper, D. T., and Cooper, T.D.*(2022). Restorative Circles, Check-Ins, and Community Building in Academic and Practical Settings. (2022). Paper presented at the Black Doctoral Network 10th Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

Klein, J.L., Bailey, D.J.S., Cooper, D. T., and Sample, L. Contextualizing the Effects of Sexual Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) Policies on Employment and Economic Status of Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses (Part 1). (2022). Paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 59th Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV.

Tosto, S.*, Garrett, D.*, Klee, P.*, Oliver, A.*, Lawler, S.*, and Cooper, D. T. (2021). Diverting youth during the first COVID-19 surge: Work experiences from community-based diversion service providers. Paper presented at the 47th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Cooper, D. T. (2020). Inclusive Strategies to Increase Trust, Collaboration, And Participation in Campus Climate Surveys. Session presented at the New England Educational Assessment Network Fall Forum, Online due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Garrett, D.*, and Cooper, D. T. (2020). RED among Youth in Connecticut: A Multi-City Examination of Successes and Challenges for Front-End Diversion. Paper presented at the Black Doctoral Network Annual Conference, Online due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Cooper, D. T., and Garrett, D.* (2020). A Qualitative Assessment of Diversionary Services Offered to Connecticut’s Youth through Juvenile Review Board. Paper accepted for presentation at the 46th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Washington, D.C. Conference canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Cooper, D. T. (2019). Amplifying Community Voices in Advocacy through Your Research. Workshop presented at the Black Doctoral Network Annual Conference, Newark, New Jersey.

Cooper, D. T., and Ma, L.* (2019). Public Attitudes and Juvenile Justice Policy Reform in Connecticut: A Survey on Truancy and Status Offenses. Paper presented at the 45th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Bailey, D., Klein, J.L., Cooper, D. T., and Sample, L. (2019). Examining the Economic Impact of the Sex Offender Registry on Registrants. Paper presented at the 45th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Cooper, D. T., Ma, L.*, Giarrusso, S.*, Jeffries, S.*, Rakowicz, A.*, Smith, A. *, Cole, A. *, and O’Neale, T.* (2019). Decriminalization of Status Offenses in Connecticut: A Discussion of Data and Youth Justice Policy Reforms. Paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

Rivers, Y., and Cooper, D. T. (2019). Mindset and Developmental Math: An Embedded Curricular Approach to Demystifying and Illuminating Mathematical Ideas. Paper presented at the Joint Mathematics Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

Cooper, D. T., and Klein, J.L. (Forthcoming, 2018). "Raise the Age" Legislation as a Prevention Approach to Address Mass Incarceration. Paper accepted for presentation at the 44th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Klein, J.L. Beasley, D., and Cooper, D. T. (Forthcoming, 2018). Perpetually Panicked: Testing the Community Attitudes toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) Scale. Paper accepted for presentation at the 44th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

*Giarrusso, S. and Cooper, D. T. (Forthcoming, 2018). An Inventory of Juvenile Justice Curriculum in the Largest Criminal Justice/Criminology Programs in the US. Paper accepted for presentation at the 44th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

*Jeffries, S., *Giarrusso, S, *Ma, L., Pierre, M., Coker, K., and Cooper, D. T. (Forthcoming, 2018). Examining Race and Recidivism among Connecticut Youth Formerly in Congregate Care. Paper accepted for presentation at the 44th American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

*Ma, L. and Cooper, D. T.. (2018). Examining Variations in US Educational Policies and Legislation Defining Truant and Chronically Absent Students. Paper presented at the American Criminal Justice Society Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Cooper, D. T., and Klein, J.L. (2017). Exploring Black Young Adults’ Decision-Making during a Traffic Stop. Paper presented at the 43rd American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Klein, J.L. and Cooper, D. T. (2017). Predictors of Black Young Adults’ Responses toward Police during a Disagreement. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

*Brito, G. and Cooper, D. T.. (2017). Examining The Use of Truancy Models Addressing Chronic Absence in Schools Throughout the United States. Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

*Pierre, M., Cooper, D. T., and Coker, K. (2017). Mental Health Symptoms, Delinquency, and Recidivism among Justice-Involved Minority Youths in Connecticut. Poster presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

*Jeffries, S., Cooper, D. T., and Coker, K. (2017). Examining Race and Recidivism among Connecticut Youth Formerly in Congregate Care. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

*Giarrusso, S., Cooper, D. T., and Coker, K. (2017). Investigating Racial Disparity Among Non-committed Juveniles Offenders Using Different Recidivism Time Periods. Paper presented at the American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

*Giarrusso, S. and Cooper, D. T. (2017). Discussing the Status of Juvenile Justice Education through Course Offerings and Concentrations. Paper presented at the American Criminal Justice Society Annual Conference, Kansas City MO.

Cooper, D. T. (2017). Racial Identity Dimensions Predicting Black Young Adults’ Responses during Traffic Stops. Paper presented at the Black Doctoral Network Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Research Interests
  • Criminological Theory
  • Substance Abuse & Delinquency Prevention
  • Youths and Young Adults
  • Sex Offending/ Sexual Deviance
Grants

Cooper, D. T. (2015) Black Young Adults' Deferential & Defiant.Decision-Making during Traffic Stops.

In the Media