michael-a-cretacci
Michael A Cretacci, PhD
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice

State University of New York (SUNY) College at Buffalo
Buffalo State College
1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA
Phone: 716-878-5133
Fax: 716-878-3240
Email: cretacma@buffalostate.edu

Education

August, 2002 Ph.D. in the School of Criminal Justice University at Albany, State University of New York
May 1992 M.S. Criminal Justice State University of New York College at Buffalo
August 1990 B.S. in Criminal Justice, Minor in Deviance State University of New York College at Buffalo

Biography

Michael A. Cretacci is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY - Buffalo State. His research interests include the cultural predictors of firearms ownership, social and self-control theories, criminal procedure, police attitudes towards their work, and the impact of religiosity on deviance. He has published two books: Is there any relation between religious participation and criminal delinquency? A test of social control theory by The Edwin Mellen Press and Supreme Court case briefs in criminal procedure by Rowman & Littlefield. His articles have appeared in International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, Criminal Justice Review, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Critical Issues in Justice and Politics, International Journal of Police Science & Management, Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, and Journal of Criminal Justice. He received his Ph.D. at the School of Criminal Justice, from the University at Albany.


Research Interest

  • Self-control theory
  • Police cadet attitudes
  • Religiosity and crime
  • Social control theory
  • Criminal procedure

Scientific Activities

Grants Awarded

Faculty Development Awards

2009, May Cretacci, M. A Testing the origins of self-control in a sample of Chinee high school students. Individual Development Award Buffalo State College
2008, May Cretacci, M.A Chinese police officer attitudes towards their role. Individual Development Award Buffalo State College
2007, March Cretacci, M.A Another look at self-control and crime: How “general” is the general theory? Individual Development Award Buffalo State College
SERVICES

College Service at Buffalo State

Summer 2013 China Recruitment Consultant for Buffalo State -SUNY & SUNY system
September 2012-August-2015 Served as Chair during this period.
2006-2008 Jack Kent Cooke Awards Committee
2008-2010 International Studies Minor Oversight Committee
2008 President’s Awards for Excellence in Academic Advisement and Teaching Committee
Spring 2009 Attendee of the President and Provost Scholarship Luncheon
2007-Present Honors Convocation
2008-2011 SOP Curriculum Representative
2010 Thesis Advisor for China Center
2010 Thesis Advisor for Criminal Justice Department
2009-Spring 2011 College Senate Curriculum Committee
2009-Spring 2011 College Budget, Staff, and Allocation Committee
2009-Present Departmental Curriculum Committee
Criminal Justice Department Service at Buffalo State
2006-2008, 2010-2011 Curriculum Committee
2007-2010-Chair [2008-2010] Assessment Committee
2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2011 Personnel Committee
2007-2010 Search Committee
2007-2008 Student Awards Committee
Several Open Houses
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
August 2006-Present Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Department State University of New York (SUNY) College at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
September 2015-August 2018 Special Guest Professor   Jianghan University, School of Law, Wuhan, Hubei, PRC
August 2005-August 2006 Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Department of Criminal Justice State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport, Brockport, New York
Fall 2000-August 2005 Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Spring 1996-August 2000 The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Research Project Assistant
Fall 1996-Spring 1997 Questar III Program Analysis and Evaluation Consultant for New York State Department of Education
Summer 1992-Spring 1993 Abraxas Foundation, Inc Served as a general counselor in a male detention facility and transported juveniles to court appearances and assisted with their future reintegration into society

Publications

  1. Cretacci, M. A. & Hendrix, N. (in press). Close range: Adolescent predictors of adult firearms ownership. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences.
  2. Cretacci, M. A., Rivera, C. J., Gao, Y., & Zheng, L. (in press). Bonding to Bamboo: A Social Control explanation of Chinese crime. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences.
  3. Cretacci, M. A., Hendrix, N., & Zheng, L. (in press). Is China “keeping its powder dry?” Developing a Cultural Transmission model of gun behaviors and attitudes. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences.
  4. Cretacci, M. A. & Cretacci, N. (2011). Enter the Dragon: The causes of low self-control in a sample of Chinese high school students. Asian Journal of Criminology, DOI 10.1007/s11417-012-9129-z.
  5. *Cretacci, M. A., Ding, F., & Rivera, C. J., (2010). Traditional and bond measures of self-control and their impact on deviance among Chinese university students. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 5, (1), 220-238.
  6. Sun, I. Y., Sobol, J. J., Cretacci, M., & Phillips, S. W. (2010). A comparison of Chinese and the U.S. police cadets’ occupational attitudes. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, (4), 640-647.
  7. **Cretacci, M. A., Rivera, C. J., & Ding, F. (2009). Self-control and Chinese deviance: A look behind the bamboo curtain. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 4,(2), 131-143.
  8. Cretacci, M. A. (2009a). Which came first, the bond or self-control? A test of Hirschi’s revision of low self-control. Critical Issues in Justice and Politics, 2(2), 71-85.
  9. Cretacci, M. A. (2009b). Clash of the titans: A theoretical competition between self-control and social bond. Critical Issues in Justice and Politics, 2(3), 15-34.
  10. Sun, I. Y, Cretacci, M. A., Wu, Y, & Cheng, J. (2009). Chinese police cadets’ attitudes toward police roles and work. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 32, 758-780.
  11. Wu, Y., Sun, I. Y, & Cretacci, M. A. (2009). A study of Chinese cadets’ motivation to become police officers. International Journal of Police Science and Management, 11(3), 377-392.
  12. Cretacci, M. A. (2008). A general test of self-control theory: Has its importance been exaggerated? International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 52, 538 - 553.
  13. Cretacci, M. A. (2003). Religion and social control: An application of a modified social bond on violence. Criminal Justice Review, 28, 254-277.
  14. While this article has a 2010 publication year, publication delays occurred due to the editor’s family emergency. The paper was submitted winter 2010 and published summer of 2011.
  15. ** While this article has a 2009 publication year, publication delays occurred due to the editor’s family emergency. The paper was submitted late summer 2010 and published fall of that year.

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