Dr. Alex Holsinger is an Associate Dean and Professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at UMKC, where he has been on faculty since 1999. In the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Office, Dr. Holsinger is responsible for faculty affairs and graduate programs.
Associate Dean Holsinger received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in the summer of 1999, and joined the faculty at UMKC the following Fall. For the duration of his time at UMKC Dr. Holsinger taught statistics and corrections-based courses in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, and focused his research agenda toward risk and need assessment and the evaluation of rehabilitation and treatment programming.
Most of his published work has involved tests of the effectiveness of various forms of correctional interventions (e.g., rehabilitation and treatment, core correctional practices in supervision, dosage probation, notification systems, graduated sanctions). Dr. Holsinger has also conducted research regarding the development and testing of both published and original risk, need, and responsivity assessments. Dr. Holsinger’s work has been recognized by the American Probation and Parole Association which awarded him the “Award in Corrections” for outstanding contributions to the field of corrections in the United States and Canada. In 2015 Dr. Holsinger received the Legacy of Leadership Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission for outstanding contributions to public safety in corrections.
Academic credentials
- B.A., Sociology, Aquinas College (1991)
- M.S., Criminal Justice, Illinois State University (1993)
- Ph.D., Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati (1999)
Research interests
- Institutional and community corrections
- Offender assessment
- Rehabilitation and treatment
- Behavioral change theory and strategy