Rate My Professor Amy Cook

Amy K. Cook is a Professor of criminal justice and Senior Consultant in the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University's L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Her academic background includes a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, completed in 2009 with a dissertation titled "Parental competencies of juvenile probationers and adherence to probation conditions." Before entering academia, Cook served over 14 years as a probation officer with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, where she worked directly with delinquent youth, families, and victims of intimate partner violence. She was also a founding member of the Henrico County Fatality Review Team, responsible for reviewing intimate partner and family-related homicides.

Cook's research specializations encompass substance use among criminal justice populations, with a current focus on correlates of substance abuse, including overdose and crime, particularly opioid-related issues. Additional areas of interest include juvenile justice, experiential learning opportunities for students, substance use and drug overdose, and community-based reentry programs. Her key publications include "Confronting the opioid epidemic: public opinion toward the expansion of treatment services in Virginia" (2019), "Public Opinion and Public Policy: Heroin and Other Opioids" (2017), "Physical Abuse" (2017), "The Different Faces of Impulsivity as Links between Childhood Maltreatment and Young Adult Crime" (2016), "I'm Tired of My Child Getting Into Trouble: Parental Controls and Supports of Juvenile Probationers" (2013), "Get Him Out of My House: Parental Competencies of Juvenile Probationers" (2012), and "Please Remember Me: Unintended Consequences Affecting Children of the Incarcerated" (2011). At VCU, she contributes to initiatives like Project ReConnect, which supports individuals in the criminal justice system with substance use and mental health needs, and leads experiential courses such as Bridging Perspectives to promote civil dialogue on policing and community relations. She also serves as a faculty advisor for the Humphrey Fellowship Program and has developed global learning programs, including a study abroad course on the Dutch criminal justice system.