Amie Schuck

Associate Professor

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice

Research Interests

Alcohol-related violence, crime prevention through environmental design
The issues that I study lie at the intersection of criminal justice, public health, economics, and urban design. I am interested in studying policies and initiatives in Chicago that influence drinking behavior in order to reduce the associated harms such as youth violence, sexual assault and child abuse. We know that there is a strong link between the consumption of alcohol and violence, however, we know very little about the effectiveness of environmentally based interventions, such as regulatory measures to reduce alcohol distribution in neighborhoods and initiatives rooted in crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).
Starting in the summer of 2012 I will be embarking on a multiyear study of the impact of alcohol related policies on violence and victimization in several Chicago communities. The study is a mixed method design and will include both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Some of the aspects of the project include:
Interviews with bartenders, waiters, waitress, journalists and police officers;
Interviews with victims and offenders of alcohol-related violence;
Content analyses of media materials; and
Mapping and geospatial analysis of alcohol outlets and violent crime.

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