Nicole McKenna
Assistant Professor
Areas of Expertise
- CJ 323
- CJ 580
Highlighted Publications
- McKenna, N. C. & Ruhland, E. (In press). Good in theory, complex in practice: Reflections on power and privilege in carceral participatory research. Feminist Criminology.
- McKenna, N.C. & Anderson, V.R. (2025). Paradox and Punishment: Implementing Trauma-Informed Care in Juvenile Detention Facilities. Feminist Criminology.
- McKenna, N. C. & Anderson, V. R. (2024) Pathways to—but not through? Revisiting the trauma and recidivism relationship among system-involved youth. Youth Violence & Juvenile Justice.
Current Projects
- Examining Re-Entry Experiences
- Restorative and Transformative Justice for Youth and Communities Pilot Program
- Trauma-Informed Care in Juvenile Detention Facilities in the United States
Student & Research Availability
- Accepting Students in Programs: Bachelors | Doctoral | Masters
- Research or Interest Area Key Words: trauma, juvenile justice, re-entry, gender & crime, community-engaged research
Alma Mater
University of Cincinnati
Get to Know Nicole
As a critical criminologist using mixed methods and participatory approaches to research, Dr. McKenna’s research program advances three interrelated lines of inquiry: trauma and trauma-informed care in the juvenile legal system; criminal and youth justice responses to deviance; and the integration of activism in scholarship and teaching. Across these three areas, she focuses on issues affecting girls and women, prioritizing the perspectives of people with lived experience. She has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Criminal Justice and Behavior, the American Journal of Community Psychology, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, and Feminist Criminology, as well as numerous book chapters and encyclopedia entries. Dr. McKenna recently served as a guest editor for the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, and serves on the Editorial Board of Criminal Justice and Behavior.
Dr. McKenna has been invited to speak to regional and national events hosted by the National Partnership for Juvenile Services, the Council on Criminal Justice’s Women’s Justice Commission, the California Court-Appointed Special Advocates, and the Tow Research Institute. Her work has been recognized by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences’ Juvenile Justice and Delinquency section and Life Paths Research. In 2024, she received the Community-Engaged Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Feminist Criminology.
At the University of Kentucky, Dr. McKenna teaches courses focused on the criminal justice system, corrections, and juvenile justice. She finds joy in working with graduate and undergraduate students, as mentoring is a critical aspect of her scholarly identity.