Dr. Ben Stickle is a Professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Cedarville University and a Master's of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Justice Administration from the University of Louisville. His research interests include policing (use of force & administration), property crime (metal theft & burglary), and emerging crimes (package theft & crime in the sharing economy). Ben's theoretical focus is crime opportunity and rational choice, specializing in qualitative methods. His research has appeared in the American Journal of Criminal Justice, Police Practice & Research, and Policing: An International Journal. He is the author of Metal Scrappers and Thieves (Springer, 2017), co-editor of Policing Behavior, Hiring, and Crime Fighting: An International View (Routledge, 2021), editor of Field Studies in Environmental Criminology (Routledge, 2022), and has authored dozens of book chapters, reviews, & encyclopedia entries. His research has garnered national and international attention, including media interviews (e.g., New York Times, Good Morning America, NBC Investigative Reporting), presentations in eight countries (including at the United Nations in New York & Geneva), and across numerous practitioner outlets. Ben is the recipient of MTSU's 2020-2021 Distinguished Research Award.  

In addition to his research, Ben has over twenty years of experience in criminal justice, including service as a Police Officer, Crime Scene Investigator, and Private Security Officer. He is a two-time President of the Kentucky Peace Officers' Association and a member of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council. A graduate of the National Forensic Academy (Session XXII), Ben holds multiple professional certifications and has served as an expert witness on police administration matters. Currently, Ben incorporates his experience as a practitioner and research interests into service as a program evaluator or primary investigator for multiple Bureau of Justice grants totaling over 6 million dollars with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Rutherford County Correctional Center, and others focused on justice mental health responses, offender reentry, human trafficking, and crime statistics.

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• Distinguished Research Award, Middle Tennessee State University (2021)
• Faculty Initiate, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2021)
• McGraw Hill Distinguished Scholar Award, Ethnographic & Qualitative Research Conference (2020)
• Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award for Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit, Mid-South Sociological Association (2019)
• Influential Faculty Member, Middle Tennessee State University (2018, 2019, 2022)
• Outstanding Faculty Award, Experiential Learning, Middle Tennessee State University (2018)
• Influential Faculty Member, The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (2017)

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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles  

• Stickle, B., Rennhoff, A., Morris, C., Fritts*, S. (Forthcoming). Catalytic Converter Theft. Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal, X(X), X-X.
• Stickle, B., Begum, P., & Smith, C. (Online First). Human Trafficking Hotline Analysis: Insights from the State of Tennessee. Victims & Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice, X(X), X-X.
• Stickle, B., Denney, A., & Fritts, S. (Online First). Rural Jail Reentry Non-Clinical Case Management: An Examination of the Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry (MTRR) Program. Justice Evaluation Journal, X(X), X-X.
• Stickle, B. (Online First). Crime Sharing: How the Sharing Economy may Impact Crime Victims. Victims & Offenders, X(X), pp.
• Jossie, M., & Stickle, B. (Online First). Oral History in Academic Criminal Justice: Reflections from ACJS “Triple Crown” Luminaries. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 17(X), pp.
• Stickle, B. & Sprick Schuster, S. (2023). Are Schools in Prison Worth It? The Effects and Economic Returns to Prison Education. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 48(6), 1263-1294.
• Ledford, L. S., Osborne, D. L., Edwards, B. D., & Stickle, B. (2023). Conservation Officer Perceptions of Stress Associated with Traditional Policing Duties. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice.
• Miller, J. M., Jennings, W. G., Vose, B., Miller, H. V., Miller, B. L., Stickle, B., Koskinen, S. M., Jossie, M. L. (2022). Marijuana Enforcement Since Drug Policy Reform: An Exploration of Officer Discretion in Six States. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(4), 697-711.
• Stickle, B., Kulig, T., Creel, S., Meyer, K., Maynard, B., & Jeanes, G. (2022). Human Trafficking Awareness and Reporting: Insights from Tennessee Police Websites and Social Media. Policing: An International Journal, 45(6), 1051-1063.  
• Hicks, M., Stickle, B., Harms, J. (2022). Assessing the Fear of Package Theft. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(1), 399-420.  
• Stickle, B. (2021). A High Note: Drug Misuse in Popular Rap Music. Substance Use & Misuse, 56(10), 1448-1456.  
• Gross, S., & Stickle, B. (2021). Policies on Consensual Sexual Activity in State Prisons. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 32(5), 546-561.  
• Ledford, L. S., Osborne, D. L., Edwards, B. D., & Stickle, B. (2021). Not Just a Walk in the Woods? Exploring the Impact of Individual Characteristics and Changing Job Roles on Stress among Conversation Officers. Police Practice & Research: An International Journal, 22(1), 274-289.  
• Stickle, B., & Felson, M. (2020). Crime Rates in a Pandemic: The Largest Criminological Experiment in History. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(4), 525-536.
• Stickle, B., Hicks, M., Stickle, A., & Hutchinson, Z. (2020). Porch Pirates: Examining Unattended Package Theft Through Crime Script Analysis. Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law, and Society, 33(2), 79-95.  
• Vermeer, S., Stickle, B., Frame, M., & Hein, M. (2020). Reasons and Barriers for Choosing Police Careers. Policing: An International Journal, 43(5), 817-830.   
• Stickle, B. (2016). A National Examination of the Effect of Education, Training, and Pre-Employment Screening on Law Enforcement Use of Force. Justice Policy Journal, 13(1), 1-15.  
• Stickle, B. (2015). Examining Public Willingness-to-pay for Burglary Prevention. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 17(2), 120-138.  

Books  

• Stickle, B. (Ed.). (2022). Field Studies in Environmental Criminology. London: Routledge.
• Eterno, J. A., Stickle, B., Peterson, D. S., & Das, D. K. (Eds.). (2021). Police Behavior, Hiring, and Crime Fighting: An International View. London: Routledge.
• Stickle, B. (2017). Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Recipient of the Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award, Mid-South Sociological Association (2019)

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Scholarship & Research

• Primary Researcher & Co-Director for Rutherford County Sheriff Office; Virtual Reality De-escalation Site-Based Initiative: U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, requested at $685,730 (2023-Present)
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Job Task Analysis: Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, funded at $160,000 (2023–Present)
• Subject Matter Expert of Tennessee Bureau of Investigation: Officer Recruitment and Retention: TBI Diversity Targeted Outreach Initiative: U.S. Department of Justice: Community Oriented Policing Services: Community Policing Development Microgrants Program, funded at $175,000 (2022-2023)  
• Co-Primary Investigator for Survey of Package Thieves, Middle Tennessee State University, funded at $4,000 (2022)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation & Tennessee’s Statistical Analysis Center’s: Core Capacity Building Project, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics: State Justice Statistics Program of Statistical Analysis Centers, 2021, funding at $80,416 (2021-Present)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s: Tennessee’s Human Trafficking Task Force Initiative, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance: Enhanced Collaborative Model (EMC) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking: Supporting Law Enforcement’s Role, funded at $800,000 (2020–Present)  
• Primary Investigator for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation & Tennessee Statistical Analysis Center: Increasing Access to and Quality of Criminal Justice Data in Tennessee, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics: State Justice Statistics Program of Statistical Analysis Centers, 2020, funded at $79,180 (2020-2022)  

Program Evaluation & Scientific Concultant

• Co-Program Evaluator for Rutherford County (TN) Correctional Work Center: Re-Entry Career Training, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act, Category 2: Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes, funded at $900,000 with Vickie Harden (2022–Present)  
• Co-Program Evaluator for Rutherford County (TN) Correctional Work Center: Keeping Family Connections, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act: Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children, funded at $617,748 with Vickie Harden (2019-2022)  
• Program Evaluator for Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry: Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program, U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance: Second Chance Comprehensive Community-based Adult Reentry Program, funded at $500,000. (2018–2021)

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