Dr. Alessa Juarez

Assistant Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Criminal Justice

Email: alessa.juarez@unt.edu

Education

PhD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2024

Major: Criminology
Dissertation: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of Mexico's Ley General and Human Trafficking Investigations.

Professional Positions

Academic - Post-Secondary

Teaching Associate, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. (2023 - 2024).

Professional

Grant Coordinator, MHMR of Tarrant County. MHMR of Tarrant County. (2020 - 2021).

Professional Memberships

Latina/o/x/ Criminology. (March 2025 - December 2025).
Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice. (September 2024 - December 2025).
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). (December 2023 - December 2025).
ACJS Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Section. (January 2022 - December 2025).
ACJS Victimology Section. (January 2022 - December 2025).
American Society of Criminology (ASC). (September 2021 - December 2025).
ASC Division of International Criminology (ASC DIC). (September 2021 - December 2025).
ASC Division of Victimology (DOV). (September 2021 - December 2024).

Development Activities

Other (Writing Group), Faculty Writing Group, UNT Faculty Success. United States of America. (September 2024).
Workshop, UNT Early Career Faculty Learning Community Meeting: Supporting Graduate Students, UNT Faculty Success. United States of America. (October 2025 - October 2025).
Workshop, The Myth of the Great “AI Hunter”: Rethinking AI Detection and Student Practice in the Classroom, UNT DSI CLEAR Faculty Development. United States of America. (September 2025 - September 2025).
Other (Pedagogy), Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Effective Teaching Practices: UNT Cohort C,, UNT Faculty Success. United States of America. (August 2024 - May 2025).
Other (Pedagogy), UNT Faculty Success Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Community of Practice 2025, UNT Faculty Success. United States of America. (August 2024 - May 2025).
Workshop, Impactful Research – Strategies for Broader Impacts and Servingness, UNT Division of Research & Innovation. United States of America. (April 2025 - April 2025).
Seminar, Distant Neighbors or Regional Partners? Reflecting on U.S.-Mexico Relations Under Two New Administrations, Harvard University, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. United States of America. (March 2025).
Workshop (Cohort), ACJS Academic Leadership Development Summit Inaugural Cohort, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. United States of America. (March 2025 - March 2025).
Workshop, Fall Faculty Grantsmanship, ATG and UNT Division of Research and Innovation. United States of America. (December 2024 - December 2024).
Seminar, DRCLAS Tuesday Seminar Series: Debating Mexico's Judicial Reform Webinar, Harvard University David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. United States of America. (November 2024).
Workshop, Program Evaluation in Victim Services: An Introduction to Providers, Center for Victim Research. United States of America. (May 2024 - May 2024).
Other (Pedagogy), Teaching Circle, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Center for Teaching Excellence. United States of America. (August 2023 - May 2024).
Seminar, Artificial Intelligence Summit, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. United States of America. (April 2024 - April 2024).
Workshop, RStudio Two-Part Workshop, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Applied Research. United States of America. (April 2024 - April 2024).
Workshop, Tools to Support Campus Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Webinar, U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. United States of America. (April 2024 - April 2024).
Workshop, Analyzing Data from the National Crime Victimization Survey: A Virtual Workshop for Data Users, U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. United States of America. (December 2023 - December 2023).
Workshop, Writing with Statistics: Data Visualization, Storytelling, and Persuasion Workshop, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Kathleen Jones Writing Center. United States of America. (October 2023 - October 2023).
Tutorial, Introduction to STATA, Instats. United States of America. (July 2023 - July 2023).
Other (Writing Group), Summer Graduate Writing Group, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Kathleen Jones Writing Center. United States of America. (June 2023 - July 2023).
Tutorial, Introduction to Time-Series Commands in STATA, STATA. United States of America. (May 2023 - May 2023).
Workshop, Introductory Statistical Workshops on R, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences. United States of America. (April 2023 - April 2023).
Seminar, National Crime Victimization Survey Research Forum, The University of Maryland. United States of America. (June 2022 - June 2022).

Teaching

Teaching Experience

University of North Texas

CJUS 3600 - Criminology. 3600. Criminology, 4 courses.
CJUS 4650 - Victimology, 4 courses.
CJUS 5550 - World Criminal Justice Systems, 1 course.

Teaching at Other Institutions

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, CRIM 102 Survey of Criminology, Spring 2024.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, CRIM 102 Survey of Criminology, Fall 2023.

Directed Student Learning

Master's Thesis Committee Member, "Educating for Equity: Assessing the Impact of Gender and Crime Education on Undergraduate Sentencing Decisions," Criminal Justice. (December 2025).

Awards and Honors

Conference Support Award, University of North Texas Faculty Success. (2025).
Conference Travel Grant, Indiana University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research. (2023).
Graduate General Scholarship, Delta Zeta Foundation. (2023).
Graduate Student Dissertation Research Award, Indiana University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research. (November 2023).
Conference Travel Grant, Indiana University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research. (2022).
Graduate General Scholarship, Delta Zeta Foundation. (2022).
College of Health and Human Services Graduate Student Oustanding Oral Presentation Award, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Scholars Forum. (April 2023).
Graduate Student Research Award, TCU Graduate Studies. (May 2020).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

Book Chapter

Juarez, A.S., Miller, S.J. (2025). Assessing the Impact of Mexico's Ley General Legislation on Federal Human Trafficking Investigations. Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan.

Journal Article

Juarez, A.S. (2025). Mexico’s State-Level Human Trafficking Investigations: An Overview of Trends Between 2015-2023. International Criminology.
Rief, R., Juarez, A. (2025). Effects of female representation in law enforcement on victim-centered practices and victim cooperation. Journal of Criminal Justice.
Phaneuf, S.W., Miller, S.J., Juarez, A.S. (2025). Evaluating Moral Reasoning and the Efficacy of Ethics Courses Among Criminology Majors. Journal of Criminal Justice Education.
Juarez, A.S., Miller, S.J. (2025). State-Level Human Trafficking and Kidnapping Investigations in Mexico. Journal of Human Trafficking.
Juarez, A.S., Bowen, K., Nhan, J. (2024). Communication Inhibitors: Dilemmas in Community Partnerships Amidst Mental Health Crises in Texas. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Juarez, A., Bowen, K., Nhan, J. (2021). Collaborative Efforts Between Law Enfocement and Mental Health Professionals When Responding to Mental Health Crises. Justice Policy Journal. https://www.cjcj.org/media/import/documents/responding_to_mental_health_crises.pdf

Presentations Given

Oral Presentation

Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2024 Scholars Forum, An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Mexico’s Ley General and Human Trafficking Investigations, Indiana University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research, Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
Roberts, J. (Presenter), Clouser, C. (Author), Gutierrez, V. (Author), Juarez, A. (Author), Sorenson, J. (Author), Stillson, C. (Author), Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators Annual Conference, Factors Related to Student Course Engagement, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators, Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, Influential Matters: Student and Safety Factors that Uniquely Contribute to Student Perceptions of Rule Enforcement, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, National Harbor, Maryland, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).

Other

Juarez, A.S. (Presenter), Piacquadio, A. (Presenter), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, The Insider Scoop: Graduate Student Experiences as Managing Editors, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).

Paper

Rief, R. (Author), Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Increasing Female Representation in Law Enforcement: Effects on Domestic Violence Practices and Victim Cooperation, American Society of Criminology, Washington D.C., United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Academy of Criminal Justie Sciences Annual Conference, State-Level Investigations of Human Trafficking and Kidnapping Activity in Mexico, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Denver, Colorado, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice Annual Conference, A Time-Series Analysis of Mexico’s Ley General Impact on Federal Human Trafficking Investigations, Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice, Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Bowen, K. (Author), , J. (Author), American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Communication Inhibitors: Dilemmas in Community Partnerships Amidst Mental Health Crises in Texas, American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
Phaneuf, S. (Author), Miller, S. (Author), Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Moral Reasoning and College Major: Do Criminology Majors Differ from Other Majors?, American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Phaneuf, S. (Author), Miller, S. (Author), Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2023 Scholars Forum, Evaluating Moral Reasoning and the Efficacy of Ethics Courses Among Criminology Majors, Indiana University of Pennsylvania School of Graduate Studies and Research, Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
Phaneuf, S. (Author), Miller, S. (Author), Parsley, P. (Author), Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Conference, Evaluating Moral Reasoning and the Efficacy of Ethics Courses Among Criminology Majors, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, National Harbor, Maryland, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice Annual Conference, Collaborative Efforts Between Law Enforcement and Mental Health Professionals When Responding to Mental Health Crises, Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice, Austin, Texas, United States of America. (2020 - 2020).

Poster

Juarez, A.S. (Author & Presenter), American Society of Criminology Annual Conference, Economic Deprivation of Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19 in the United States, American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America. (2022 - 2022).

Media Contributions

Magazine

"Alessa Juarez Finds Responding to Mental Health Crises Requires Collaboration," TCU Magazine. (August 2020).

Other

"Think Human Trafficking Only Happens Abroad? Think Again Says HPS Criminal Justice Researcher," UNT HPS State of the College Newsletter 2025. (2025).

Contracts, Grants, Sponsored Research

Grant - Research

Juarez, A.S., Twis, M., "Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Human Trafficking with Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care (TVIC)," sponsored by Texas Bar Foundation, State, $29650 Funded. (2025 - 2026).

Service

University Service

Committee Member, Policy Revision Committee. (December 2025 - Present).
Faculty Advisor, Alpha Phi Sigma Iota Theta Chapter. (August 2024 - Present).
Committee Member, Undergraduate Committee. (August 2024 - Present).
Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee. (September 2024 - November 2024).
Other (Board Member), Indiana University of Pennsylvania Office of Student Support and Community Standards Board. (August 2022 - May 2024).

Public Service

Other (Affiliated Researcher Partner), Center for Victim Research. (December 2024 - Present).
Task Force Member, Tarrant County 5 Stones Task Force. Fort Worth, Texas. (August 2024 - Present).
Grant Proposal Reviewer, External, U.S. Deparment of Justice Office of Justice Programs. (March 2021 - Present).

Professional Service

Reviewer, Journal Article, Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research. (2025 - Present).
Reviewer, Journal Article, Journal of Interpersonal Violence. (2025 - Present).
Reviewer, Journal Article, International Criminology. (2024 - Present).
Committee Member, ASC DOV Mentorship Committee. (January 2024 - December 2025).
Committee Member, ASC DIC Graduate Fellowship Committee. (January 2022 - December 2025).
Mentor, ASC Division on Feminist Criminology Mentor Program. (January 2024 - December 2024).
Committee Member, ASC DOV Newsletter Committee. (January 2024 - December 2024).
Other (Managing Editor), Criminal Justice Policy Review. (August 2021 - August 2023).
Other (Conference Volunteer), ACJS Annual Conference Volunteer. (March 2023 - March 2023).
Other (Conference Volunteer), ASC DOV Annual Conference Volunteer. (November 2022 - November 2022).