Department of Sociology Faculty

Gennifer Furst

Gennifer Furst (Assistant Professor) received her B.A. in Psychology (with a Sociology minor) from Connecticut College and her M.A. in Psychology (with a concentration in Evaluation Methodology) from Claremont Graduate University. She received her doctorate in Criminal Justice (with a concentration in Corrections) from CUNY Graduate Center.

Dr. Furst’s research interests focus on issues of incarceration. She published the first national survey of prison-based animal programs in the US. Additionally, she is interested in race and the administration of criminal justice, the death penalty, and drugs and crime. She has presented papers on the above topics and is beginning work on a project examining the relationship between law enforcement officers partnered with dogs. She recently co-authored a book chapter examining how issues of race and ethnicity are incorporated in college criminology/criminal justice courses.

Prior to teaching full-time, Professor Furst worked at one of the country’s three independent prison monitoring agencies, The Correctional Association of New York.

Before coming to WPU Professor Furst taught at CUNY, John Jay College and Bronx Community College, as well as The College of New Jersey.

Dr. Furst enjoys spending her free time with her dog and 3 cats. In addition, she volunteers her time and efforts with local feral cat organizations. She’s OK with being labeled “Crazy Cat Lady.”