Caitlin Lynch, Ph.D.

• Ph.D., Criminology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, 2017
• M.S., Criminology, California State University, Fresno, 2012
• B.A., Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2008

I enjoy helping students at FPU fall in love with learning, and empowering them to advocate for themselves, their communities, and those experiencing marginalization. As a criminologist, it is particularly meaningful to encourage students to challenge practices that do not align with Jesus's teachings of love, mercy, and redemption for all people.

Additional Information

I am originally from the central valley and am grateful for the opportunity to return home and raise my children here. I worked as a police officer in Kern County for four years, with assignments in patrol, investigations, and youth services, an experience which deeply shaped my research at the intersections of policing and mental health, and criminal justice reform.

My hope for all students is that they find a purpose in life that makes them excited to wake up and embark on the day's calling, and end the day with a prayer of gratitude for the life they have cultivated for themselves.

Publications

• Lynch, Caitlin G. (2024). Social workers’ experiences with police partnerships in mental health calls for service: A qualitative analysis of a co-responder model of policing. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/s11896-024-09668-9.
• Lynch, Caitlin. G., Young, Stephen T., and Danner, Mona J.E. (2022). Teaching preparation and professional development coursework in doctoral programs: The example of criminology and criminal justice. College Teaching. DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2022.2097163.
• Lynch, Caitlin G. and Chappell, Allison T. (2021). Policing the school-to-prison pipeline: A qualitative study. Journal of School Violence. DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2022.2026227.

Presentations

• Lynch, Caitlin G. (2022). Stigmatizing trauma: Police officer suicides and failed mental health solutions. Presented at the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA.
• Lynch, Caitlin G. (2022). Police partnerships with social workers in mental health calls for service. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Las Vegas, NV.
• Lynch, Caitlin G. and Chappell, Allison T. (2021). Reexamining the role of school resource officers in an era of defunding the police. Presented at the 76th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL.