Dr. David B. Taylor

Biography

Dr. David B. Taylor is Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Niagara University. He served for seven years as the director of the Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M. Institute for Civic Engagement, which he co-founded in 2011. In his role at the Levesque Institute, Dr. Taylor worked to expand the university’s community partnerships and to strengthen service-learning and community-based research at the university. Dr. Taylor currently teaches courses on race, gender and class, homeland security, careers in criminal justice and asset-based community development. His research interests include capital punishment, policing, and perceptions of poverty. Dr. Taylor also oversees the Buffalo-Niagara region’s citizen emergency preparedness program. Recipient of both the Vincentian Mission Award and the Caritas Medal, Dr. Taylor has dedicated much of his time at Niagara University toward identifying resources and implementing initiatives designed to assist the local community in such broad areas as crime prevention, disaster preparedness, neighborhood revitalization and food access.

Focus of Teaching

• At the undergraduate level, Dr. Taylor teaches sections of Introduction to Criminal Justice as well as Careers in Criminal Justice and VSJ 100 – NU Vincentian Social Justice.
• At the graduate level, he teaches two courses: Seminar in Race, Gender and Class and Homeland Security.
• Dr. Taylor is a strong proponent and advocate for project-based learning and service-learning, and he works to incorporate those elements into his courses.

Current Research

• Perceptions of and attitudes toward poverty among undergraduate and high school students
• Examining the Marshal Hypothesis and whether opposition to toward capital punishment increases with exposure to knowledge and information
• Assessing Grand Island (NY) residents’ perceptions of and attitudes toward the police
• In addition, he is working on a book proposal examining policing agencies as learning organizations.

Current Involvement

• Co-Advisor, Criminal Justice (Student) Association
• Board of Directors, Stella Niagara Education Park (SNEP) (Lewiston)
• Future Planning Committee, Francis Center (Niagara Falls)
• Juvenile Justice Task Force (Niagara County)

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, 1999
• M.A., Criminal Justice, Indiana University – Bloomington, 1992
• B.A., Psychology, Castleton State College, Vermont, 1990