Joshua Harms is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Middle Tennessee State University. He joined the faculty in 2011 as an assistant professor, earning promotion to associate professor in 2017 and to full professor in 2022.

Dr. Harms earned his Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2011, following an M.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington and a B.A. in Psychology from Harding University. Before transitioning into a career in academia, he worked in the Dallas County Adult Probation Office as a field officer and in the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

His professional background in the justice system informs both his teaching and research, which focus on bridging the gap between scholarship and practice. His current research interests include violent crime, terrorism financing, criminal theory, and quantitative research methods.

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• Harms, J. and Bush, M. (2022). A comparative analysis of knife and firearm homicides in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 37, no. 19-20.
• Harms, J. and Stickle, B. (2021). Are your packages safe from porch pirates? The Crime Report.
• Hicks, M., Stickle, B., and Harms, J. (2020). Assessing the fear of package theft. American Journal of Criminal Justice, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 3-22.
• Smith, C. and Harms, J. (2020). The threat of street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and domestic terrorist/extremist groups with military-trained members. In Strategic Notes on Third Generation Gangs: A Small Wars Journal-El Centro Anthology (pp. 383-408).
• Smith, C. and Harms, J. (2018). Street gangs, terrorists and outlaw bikers: Examining the community threat of organized crime groups with military trained members. The Journal of Gang Research, vol. 25, no. 2, p. 1-13.
• Harms, J. and Wade, L. (2017). Reconnecting with the public: Police use of social media. The Journal of Law Enforcement, vol. 6, no. 1.
• Harms, J. (2015). The war of terror and accomplices: An exploratory study of individuals who provide material support to terrorists. Security Journal, 1-20.

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• 63rd Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, Philadelphia, PA. “An Analysis of Mandatory Reporting Laws and their Impact on Firearm and Knife Violence.” (March 5, 2026).
• Southern Criminal Justice Association 2019 Conference, Nashville, TN. “A Comparative Analysis of Knife and Gun Homicides in the United States.” (Sept. 13, 2019).
• Southern Criminal Justice Association 2019 Conference, Nashville, TN. “Legalization of Recreational Marijuana and its Impact on DUI Rates.” (Sept. 10, 2019).
• 55th Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, New Orleans, LA. “Police Use of Force: Factors that Influence the Severity of Force.” (Feb. 17, 2018).
• 54th Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, Kansas City, MO. “The Fear of Crime: How Does Cyber-Crime Stack Up Against Traditional Street Crime?” (March 25, 2017).
• 53rd Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, Denver, CO. “Street Gangs, Terrorists, and Outlaw Bikers: Examining the Community Threat of Organized Crime Groups with Military Trained Members.” (March 30, 2016).
• MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences Research Luncheon Series, Murfreesboro, TN. “Police Use of Social Mediaand Trends in Sentencing: Eclectic Research in Criminal Justice.” (Oct. 2, 2015).
• Southern Criminal Justice Association 2015 Conference, Charleston, SC. “Economic Discrimination? The Impact of Attorney Type on Sentencing Outcomes.” (Sept. 10, 2015).
• 52nd Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, Orlando, FL. “National Crime Control Policies: Their Interaction and Impact on Crime Rates.” (March 7, 2015).
• Southern Criminal Justice Association 2014 Conference, Clearwater, FL. “College Students’ Expectations of Privacy Regarding Cell Phones: A Survey.” (Sept. 19, 2014).
• 51st Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, Philadelphia, PA. “Reconnecting with the Public: Preliminary Evaluation of Policing and Social Media Use.” (Feb. 19, 2014).
• 49th Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, New York, NY. “Categorical Stressors in Mississippi Public Defenders.” (March 15, 2012).
• 49th Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Conference, New York, NY. “The War on Terror and the Role of Terrorist Accomplices.” (March 15, 2012).
• American Society of Criminology Annual National Conference, San Francisco, CA. “The War on Terror and Legal Change: Exploring Offenders Who Provide Material Support to Terrorists.” (Nov. 2010).

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