Susan Kunkle

Susan M. Kunkle was employed for over three decades in the justice system working in several juvenile court systems and the federal bureau of prisons. She is currently an Associate Professor and Internship Coordinator for the Department of Sociology and Criminology, Kent State University, Kent, OH. 

Dr. Kunkle was a recipient of the Elaine Mae Shock Award for Outstanding Graduate Student, Sociology Department at Kent State University; the Community Crime Prevention Award (Stark County Prosecutor's Office); and the Dawn Marie Hendershot Award for exemplary service on behalf of child victims (Stark County Victims’ Rights Coalition and the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office).  She is an  Honorary Board Member: Project KARE, Stark County Children’s Services. Dr. Kunkle was nominated for the College of Arts & Sciences: 50th Annual Distinguished Teacher Award. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society. 

Her research interests include cyber aggression, bullying, and sentencing patterns in the juvenile justice system. She has tri-authored one book and several book chapters on bullying, stalking, harassment, and their cyber-companions.

Dr. Kunkle has presented at conferences of the United Nations, Committee on the Status of Women (UN CSW), American Society of Criminology, International Corrections and Prison Association, Midwest Political Science Association, and the Iowa Political Science Association.

Teaching and Research Interests:

Women in Crime & Justice

Correctional Institutions

Community Corrections

Issues in Law & Society

Youth and the Justice System

LGBTQ Populations in the Justice System

Education

PhD. Kent State University, 2011

Book

McNeal, R., Kunkle, S., & Schmeida, M. (2018). Cyber Harassment in a Digital Age: Emerging Research and Opportunity. Hershey, PA: IGI Global DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5285-7

Publications

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Schmeida, M. (2022). Victimization: Sexual Minorities. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Inclusivity and Equity for the LGBTQ+ Community (pp. 130-148). IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-3674-5.ch008

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Schmeida, M. (2021). Community Programs: Local School Boards and Anti-Bullying Programs. In Management Association, I. (Ed.), Research Anthology on School Shootings, Peer Victimization, and Solutions for Building Safer Educational Institutions (pp. 489-503). IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-5360-2.ch023

McNeal, R. S., Schmeida, M., Bryan, L. D., & Kunkle, S. M. (2020). State-Level Policy Response to Mass Shootings: A Timeseries Analysis. In G. Crews (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Mass Shootings and Multiple Victim Violence (pp. 397-417). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-0113-9.ch022

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Schmeida, M. (2020). Legislative Response to Cyber Aggression: Federal and State-Local Policy Reform. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Developing Safer Online Environments for Children: Tools and Policies for Combating Cyber Aggression (pp. 206-229). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-1684-3.ch009

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Schmeida, M. (2019). Policing Online Aggression: Policy Solutions and Challenges. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Social Issues Surrounding Harassment and Assault: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 80-98). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7036-3.ch004

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Bryan, L. D. (2017). State-Level Cyberbullying Policy: Variations in Containing a Digital Problem. In I. Management Association (Ed.), Violence and Society: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 59-79). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-0988-2.ch004 

McNeal, R. S., Kunkle, S. M., & Bryan, L. D. (2016) State-Level Cyberbullying Policy: Variations in Containing a Digital Problem. In G. Crews (Ed.), Critical Examinations of School Violence and Disturbance in K-12 Education (pp. 62-82).

Key Presentations:

“Gendered Perspectives on Cyber-aggression” NGOCSW New York Virtual Conference. Panel Presentation with R. McNeal, NGO66 Committee on the Status of Women, United Nations, March 23, 2022.

“Handling Cyber Violence against Women & Girls by Building a Gender-Responsive Criminal Justice System”. NGOCSW New York Virtual Conference. Panel Presentation, NGO65 Committee on the Status of Women, United Nations, March 24, 2021.

“Women who Work as Correctional Officers”. Survey results presented at the International Corrections and Prisons Association Annual Meeting, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 26-November 1, 2019.

"Cyber Harassment in A Digital Age: Emerging Research and Opportunities". Lighting Talk: Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls: Threats and Violence, American Society of Criminology, November 2019, San Francisco, Calif.

“Bullying in Cyberspace—Technology, Crime and State Response.” Paper presented at the Iowa Association of Political Scientists Annual Meeting, Des Moines, IA, March 6-7, 2015 (with R. McNeal and L. Dotterweich Bryan).

“Sentencing Schemes in a Selected Sample of Ohio Juvenile Courts.” Poster presented at  the Scholars in Action: the 2013 UNI Symposium on Research, Scholarship, and Creative  Activity, Cedar Falls, IA, February 8, 2013 (with R. McNeal).

“Sentencing Decisions and Legislative Policy in the Juvenile Court.”  Paper presented at the Iowa Political Science Association Annual Meeting, Cedar Falls, IA, March 3, 2012 (with R. McNeal).

Service:

Past Board of Directors: Sisters of Charity Foundation, Canton, OH  (2014-2021)

Sisters of Charity Foundation (Canton, OH) Community Volunteer, Search and Selection Committee for President of the Board of Directors for the foundation (2021-2022)

Past President: Project KARE Children’s Services, Stark County, OH  

Past Board Chair and Trustee for the Multi County Juvenile Attention System (A regional system of detention and rehabilitation services for youthful offenders.)