Main Focus
Shaina Herman studies crime decision-making, with a focus on how individuals interpret and respond to criminal opportunities in context. Her research examines the decision processes underlying both offending and intervention, including how moral considerations, emotions, and social dynamics shape judgments and behavior at the point of choice.
More broadly, her research seeks to refine criminological theory, particularly decision-making frameworks, by integrating insights from psychology and behavioral economics. Methodologically, she employs experimental and survey-based approaches, including immersive 360° virtual reality, to study decision-making in realistic and ecologically grounded environments.
Curriculum Vitae
Shaina Herman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University. She is also a Research Affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, where she previously served as a postdoctoral researcher.
She earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Her research has appeared in leading journals in the field, including Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology.
