Rate My Professor Riane Bolin

Dr. Riane Bolin is Chair and Professor of Criminal Justice at Radford University, where she also serves as Acting Associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina in 2014, an M.S. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a B.A. from North Carolina State University. Bolin has held leadership roles within the department, including as Graduate Coordinator, and contributes to university governance through membership on the Faculty Senate's Academic Affairs Committee with a term extending to 2026. Previously, she served on the Honors College faculty from 2018 to 2021.

Her research focuses on juvenile justice, probation practices, corrections for juveniles and adults, drug use in the criminal justice system, and juvenile delinquency. She has supervised master's theses on topics such as victims seeking services and spatial variability of crime. Key publications include "Adultification in Juvenile Corrections: Examining the Orientations of Juvenile and Adult Probation and Parole Officers" (with B.K. Applegate, American Journal of Criminal Justice); "In the Best Interests of the Child? Distinctions Between the Attitudes of Juvenile and Adult Probation Officers Toward Treating Juveniles as Adults" (2023); "Public Opinion about Parental Responsibility for Juvenile Crime" (2020, with E. Aizpurua and others); "Americans' Opinions on Juvenile Justice: Preferred Aims, Sentencing Preferences, and Rehabilitation Support" (2021); and "The Influence of Correctional Education, Skills, and Lifelong Learning on Social Outcomes" (2019, with R. Galeshi). In 2020, Bolin received the Dorothy Bracey/Janice Joseph Minority and Women New Scholar Award. Her work appears in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, contributing to discussions on public attitudes and practitioner orientations in juvenile corrections.