Brian O’Neill, Ph.D.

  • Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
  • City University of New York, Ph.D. Criminal Justice
  • Marywood College, M.S.W.

Dr. Brian O’Neill earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the City University of New York in 2001. He has been teaching for the past twenty years, and has been a professor at West Chester University since 1998. Previously Dr. O’Neill earned his M.S.W. from Marywood College and was employed as a social worker for ten years. His publications include research on minority overrepresentation in the juvenile justice system in detention and out-of-home placement and an historical case study on the insanity defense. In addition, Dr. O’Neill wrote, narrated and produced, El Padre y Los Homies, a radio documentary about Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention program in Los Angeles. Dr. O’Neill has taught a number of Inside/Out courses to incarcerated individuals at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Dr. O’Neill is currently conducting research for a book on commutation of individuals who were originally sentenced to life in prison.

Research Interests: corrections, juvenile justice, and history of the criminal justice system

Courses Taught: Corrections, Juvenile Justice, Restorative Justice, Theories, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Research Methods, Race, Ethnicity, and Criminal Justice