Keith Cruise

Keith Cruise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of youth within the juvenile justice system. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized risk assessment protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments with justice-involved youth, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. Dr. Cruise also conducts forensic evaluations of justice-involved youth including post-disposition assessments of risk and treatment amenability, providing expert testimony to juvenile courts, and providing technical assistance and consultation to local and state juvenile justice systems. Dr. Cruise is a Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention investigating the impact of trauma screening on service delivery and legal outcomes for justice-involved youth, and is a Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a technical assistance center that is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).

EDUCATION

• 1993 BA in Psychology with Criminal Justice Minor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 1995 MLS in Legal Studies, University of Nebraska, Nebraska College of Law
• 1997 MS in Psychology, University of North Texas
• 2000 PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of North Texas

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Cruise, K.R., Morin, S.L., & Affleck, K. (2016). Residential interventions for juvenile offenders. In K. Heilbrun, D. DeMatteo, & N. Goldstein (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology and Juvenile Justice (pp. 611-639). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Holloway, E.D., Cruise, K.R., Downs, S.M., Monahan, P.O., & Aalasma, M.C. (2016). Juvenile probation officer self-assessed mental health competency as a predictor of case management practices. Administration and Policy in Mental Health.

Morin, S.L., Cruise, K.R., Hinz, H., Holloway, E.D., & Chapman, J.F. (2015). Content, structure, and usefulness of juvenile predisposition psychological evaluations. Child and Youth Care Forum, 44, 893-917.

Nicholls, T.L., Cruise, K.R., Greig, D., & Hinz, H. (2015). Female offenders. In P. Zapf & B. Cutler (Eds.), APA handbook of forensic psychology volume 2: Criminal investigation, adjudication, and sentencing outcomes (pp. 79-123). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Viljoen, J.L., Nicholls, T.L., Cruise, K.R., Desmarais, S.L. & Webster, C.D. with contributions by Douglas-Beneteau, J. (2014). Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version (START:AV) User Guide. Burnaby, British Columbia: Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute.

Stimmel, M.A., Cruise, K.R., Ford, J. D., & Weiss, R. (2014). Trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology and aggression in male juvenile offenders. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6, 184-191.

Viljoen, J.L., Cruise, K.R., Nicholls, T.L., Desmarais, S.L., Webster, C. (2012). Taking stock and taking steps: The case for an adolescent version of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START:AV). International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 11, 135-149.

Ford, J.D., Chapman, J., Connor, D.F., & Cruise, K.R. (2012). Complex trauma and aggression in secure juvenile justice settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(6), 695-724.

Cruise, K.R., & Ford, J.D. (2011). Trauma exposure and PTSD in justice-involved youth. Child and Youth Care Forum, 40, 337-343.

Cruise, K.R., & Pivovarova, E. (2011). Special populations: Juvenile offenders. In B. Rosenfeld & S. Penrod (Eds.), Research methods in forensic psychology (400-420). New York: Wiley.