Dr. Talia Harmon

Biography

Dr. Talia Harmon joined the faculty in the fall, 1999. She attended the State University of New York at Albany where she received her undergraduate degree (B.A.) as well as her graduate degrees (Master’s and Ph.D.).

Dr. Harmon has written numerous articles that address issues involving capital punishment including exonerations and wrongful convictions in capital cases, racial discrimination in death penalty cases, capital commutations in New York State and the death qualification process.  She has recently published papers that look at the dramatic decline of death sentences throughout the country.

Dr. Harmon is responsible for teaching the following courses at NU: Criminal Procedural Law, Substantive Criminal Law, Principles of Justice, Capital Punishment, Statistics, and Research Thesis. Dr. Harmon was honored in 2004 by the College of Arts and Sciences by being presented the Excellence in Teaching Award. She also received the University-wide Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004.  She is currently a member of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences. Her main research interests involve capital punishment and issues relating to innocence, death qualification, racial discrimination, and competency for execution.

Dr. Harmon is currently the chair of the criminal justice program.

Focus of Teaching

Dr. Talia Harmon’s teaching focus is on the law related courses in our curriculum.  She has taught courses in-person, hybrid and online formats.

Current Research

Dr. Talia Harmon’s current research projects include tests of the Marshall hypotheses, mental health issues and eligibility for capital punishment (analyzing Barefoot, Panetti, Atkins, and Strickland claims), and botched lethal injection executions.

Current Involvement

Dr. Talia Harmon’s service to the university is highlighted by her work on numerous university-wide committees, college level committees and my administrative work as the chair of the department. I also continue to serve as the faculty advisor for the Omega Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honor Society. Finally, my contribution to the discipline/profession includes giving guest lectures, inviting guest speakers to campus and reviewing manuscripts for publication in five peer-reviewed journals.

Educational Background

Attended the State University of New York at Albany where she received her undergraduate degree (B.A.) in Political Science as well as her graduate degrees in Criminal Justice (Master’s and Ph.D.).