Kevin Beaver

By Sara L. Austin, EdD

Kevin Beaver is the Judith Rich Harris Professor of Criminology at Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, director of the FSU Distance Learning Program, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Drug Issues, and an expert in biosocial criminology. He earned a B.A. in sociology from Ohio University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.

With a focus on biosocial markers and antisocial behaviors, Beaver has worked to better understand how behavioral and molecular genetics influence later criminality and delinquent behaviors. With more than 150 articles and books to his credit, he has contributed critical insights to our understanding of genetics and behavior. He has published multiple editions of Biosocial Criminology: A Primer, Criminological Theory: A Life-Course Approach, and Why Crime? An Interdisciplinary Approach to Explaining Criminal Behavior.

He is credited with the identification of a rare variation of the MAOA gene that correlates to violent behavior and weapons use among males. He teaches courses in Alternatives to Incarceration, Genes and Crime, Life-Course Criminology, Religion and Crime, and Victimology, among many others.

His most recently published book is Quantitative and Behavioral Genetics for Social Sciences, which was written with colleague J.C. Barnes, and published in 2018.

Academic Website

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