Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology
The Criminal Justice and Sociology Department offers four degree programs; two undergraduate programs in Criminal Justice and Sociology and two graduate programs in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security and Emergency Management. We also offer additional concentrations and minors within the degree programs.
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences offers students a traditional liberal arts education to meet the needs of the 21st century, allowing them to compete for a variety of careers in an increasingly complex and evolving world.
Contact Information
Department of Criminal Justice
Robert K. Perkins
Department Chair and Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Robert K. Perkins specializes in and trains on diversity, equity, and inclusion in work organizations. Dr. Perkins’s extensive career in law enforcement, community organizing, and higher education spans 30 years, both within and outside the academy. He has also been published in national and international scholarly journals, uncovering the objective truths in various social phenomena, including social inequality, criminal justice, immigration, environmental racism, implicit biases, and emotional intelligence.
Eden Arnold
Administrative Associate | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Qassim Bolaji
Assistant Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Qassim Bolaji is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM). His research interests include environmental criminology, public perceptions, legal orientations and attitudes towards criminal justice institutions, and desistance and rehabilitation.
Kim Brackett
Associate Dean; Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Kim Brackett, tenured professor of Sociology in the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, is Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She is the faculty sponsor for the Sociology Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Delta, and is currently serving as the National President-Elect. Her research and interests include religion and family life, relationship formation, and gender. She is a past recipient of both the AUM Distinguished Teaching Professor and Distinguished Service Professor awards.
Don Chon
Distinguished Research Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Don Chon received his Ph.D. degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Florida State University. Dr. Chon has taught at the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology at AUM since Fall 2011. Dr. Chon is a known researcher in international and comparative criminology and criminal justice, including cross-national study of homicide, sexual assault, fear of crime, and criminal justice policy. Dr. Chon has published three books and over forty journal articles, book chapters, encyclopedias, and book reviews with widely regarded publishers.
David Feltmate
Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. David Feltmate is Professor of Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery. He is a sociologist of religion by training and researches the intersections of religion, popular culture, and ideology in the United States of America with a particular focus on humor. Dr. Feltmate is the author of two books on religion and humor; Drawn to the Gods: Religion and Humor in The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy (New York University Press 2017) and Religion and Humour: An Introduction (Routledge 2024) and various articles and edited book chapters. He is also the editor of the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, the series editor for the Wiley series in Religion and Popular Culture, and a co-chair of the Religion and Popular Culture Unit at the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Feltmate teaches courses at all levels to AUM students, including Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 2000), Social Problems (SOCI 2010), Human Sexuality (SOCI 2050), World Religions (RELI 2010), Social Theory (SOCI 3000), and Sociology of Religion (SOCI 4360) to undergraduate students and Social Theory (SOCI 6000) and World Religions and Terrorism (HSEM 6320) at the graduate level. He has also taught a variety of special topics courses, such as Religion and Popular Culture and Cults and New Religious Movements. He is also a martial arts instructor at The Martial Arts Center in Pike Road, AL.
Prit Kaur
Associate Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Prit Paul Kaur is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Her teaching and research competencies are Cybercrime and Cyber Victimization; Cyber Laws, Legislation, and Policies; Cyber Criminology; Juvenile Justice and Future Generations; Policing Cyber Spaces; AI Driven Attacks and Defenses; UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 5 -Gender Equality and UN SDG 16 – Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions. You can find more information about her at: https://www.drpritkaur.com
Brett Lehman
Associate Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Brett Lehman graduated with a doctorate in Sociology from Louisiana State University in 2014. He studies various social issues in education such as bullying, other forms of aggression in schools, and the college student experience. At AUM he has taught courses on Sociology of Education, Criminology, Social Movements, Social Stratification, Statistics, Research Methods, and Senior Capstone while also contributing to other programs such as Criminal Justice, the Honors Program, the Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Masters of Liberal Arts.
Jacqueline McNett
Assistant Professor | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Jackie Chavez McNett is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The University of Alabama, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from The University of Alabama, and her Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. Dr. McNett teaches for the graduate program in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Her research and teaching interests include homeland security, emergency management, criminological theory, crime and deviance, jury studies, and fear of crime. Currently, she serves as the advisor for the department’s criminal justice club The American Criminal Justice Association – Lambda Alpha Epsilon (ACJA-LAE) and is co-advisor for the Beta Delta Chapter of the Criminal Justice Honor Society Alpha Phi Sigma.
Theresa Pelfrey
Associate Professor and Director of Legal Studies | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Theresa Pelfrey, Director of Legal Studies, Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, joined Auburn University at Montgomery in 2009. She earned her Juris Doctor, Master of Social Work, and Bachelor of Science in Education degrees from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Licensed to practice law in Alabama, she engaged in the private practice of law prior to joining AUM. She worked previously as a social worker. She has taught a variety of Legal Studies courses from Introduction to the American Legal System to Alternative Dispute Resolution. Her research interests focus on children’s rights, parental rights, family law, juvenile law, and estate law.
Courtney A. Waid
Associate Professor and Faculty Athletic Representative
Courtney A. Waid
Associate Professor and Faculty Athletic Representative | College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Courtney A. Waid is currently an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and serves as the NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM). She holds a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the Florida State University (2010). She has developed and taught courses in in the areas of corrections, juvenile delinquency and justice, victimology, and criminological theory. Her recent research appears in the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice.
