Profile
Dr. Boots received her B.A. in Criminology in 1995 from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. After graduation, she entered the U.S. Border Patrol as an Agent Trainee.
In 1998, she returned to USF where she completed her M.A. in May of 2001 and her Ph.D. in Criminology in May of 2006. Her research and teaching interests center around a homicide and violence agenda, with specific focus on lifecourse and developmental criminology, domestic violence, mental health and violence, youth crime and parricide, the death penalty, corrections, and psychosocial explanations of crime.
She currently has several projects in development, including works examining the long- term impact and cost of violent crime, the relationship between mental illness in childhood and violent offending over the lifecourse, and the micro- and macro-level social learning mechanisms and attributions of domestic batterers.
Past Work Experience
- 2000-2006
- Adjunct Instructor, Department of Criminology, USF
- 2004-2006
- Assistant Advisor, Department of Criminology, USF
- 2001-2004
- Graduate Research Assistant to Interim Dean & Professor Kathleen M. Heide, USF
- 1999
- Juvenile Counselor, Level 4 Residential Treatment Facility, Plant City, Florida
- 1996
- U.S. Border Patrol Agent Trainee
Awards & honors
- 2006
- Nominated, Great Women of the 21st Century Award
American Biographical Institute - 2004-2006
- Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
National Consortium on Violence Research (NCOVR)
Primary Mentor: Dr. Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh - Apr 2006
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa, Florida
Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice Instruction - Aug 2004
- Sole Recipient, 1st Annual Grace Allen Graduate Scholarship Recipient
USF Women’s Club, University of South Florida - Apr 2003
- Winner, Outstanding Paper in Social Sciences
Second Annual Graduate Research Symposium
College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida - Apr 2001
- Nominated, Outstanding Masters Thesis Prize
University of South Florida - Oct 1999
- Inducted, Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi
University of South Florida Chapter
Professional Organizations
- American Society of Criminology
- American Association of University Professors
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
- National Consortium on Violence Research Fellow (2004-2006)
- American Correctional Association
- Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
- Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society
Courses
- CJS 1307 Introduction to Crime & Criminology
- CJS 3316 Corrections
Media Expertise
- Death penalty and public opinion
- Kids who kill/youth violence/parricide
- Domestic violence and battering
- Child abuse and maltreatment
- Mental health and violence
Publications & Research
Books/Book Chapters
Boots, Denise Paquette (In press, 2008).
“Neuropsychological Perspectives on Human Violence, Aggression, and Homicide.” In Public Policy Issue Research Trends. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November, 2007).
Mental Illness and Violent Youth: A Developmental/Lifecourse Perspective. New York, N.Y.: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Heide, Kathleen M. and Denise Paquette Boots (In press, December 2007)
A Comparative Analysis of Media Reports of U.S. Parricide Cases With Officially Reported National Crime Data and the Psychiatric and Psychological Literature.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.
Cochran, John K., Denise Paquette Boots and Mitchell B. Chamlin (2006)
Political identity and support for capital punishment: A test of attribution theory.
Journal of Crime & Justice, 29(1), 45-79.
Boots, Denise Paquette and Kathleen M. Heide (2006)
Parricides in the Media: A Content Analysis of Available Reports Across Cultures.
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50(4), 418-445.
Heide, Kathleen M., Denise Paquette Boots, Craig Alldredge, Brian Donerly, and Jennifer Rebecca White (2005)
Battered child syndrome: An overview of case law and legislation.
Criminal Law Bulletin, 41(3), 219-239.
Boots, Denise Paquette, Kathleen M. Heide, and John K. Cochran (2004)
Death penalty support for special offender populations of legally convicted murderers: Juveniles, the mentally retarded, and the mentally incompetent.
Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 22(1), 223-238.
Boots, Denise Paquette, John K. Cochran, and Kathleen M. Heide (2003)
Capital punishment preferences for special offender populations.
Journal of Criminal Justice, 31, 553-565.
Cochran, John K., Denise Paquette Boots, and Kathleen M. Heide (2003)
Attribution styles and attitudes toward capital punishment for juveniles, the mentally incompetent, and the mentally retarded.
Justice Quarterly, 20(1), 65-93.
Encyclopedia Publications
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Capital Punishment. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Child Sexual Abuse. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Mental Illness. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Psychiatric Illness and Violence Propensity. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Child Aggression as a Predictor of Youth and Adult Violence Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (in press, 2007)
Children and Adolescents Who Kill. Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence, Thousand Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Boots, Denise Paquette (January 2007)
Scott Lee Peterson. Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (January 2007)
Pamela Smart. Great Lives From History: Notorious Live. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (January 2007)
Richard Speck. Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (January 2007)
Andrea Yates. Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2005)
Coast Guard. Encyclopedia on Criminal Justice Issues, Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2005)
Office of Homeland Security. Encyclopedia on Criminal Justice Issues, Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2005)
Border Patrols. Encyclopedia on Criminal Justice Issues, Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Professional Paper/Poster Presentations
Heide, Kathleen M. and Denise Paquette Boots (accepted for presentation, November 2007).
A Comparative Analysis of Media Reports of U.S. Parricide Cases With Officially Reported National Crime Data and the Psychiatric and Psychological Literature. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in Atlanta, Georgia.
Boots, Denise Paquette, Wareham, Jennifer, & Chavez, Jorge (May 2007).
The Social Learning Mechanisms of Domestic Violence Offenders. Paper presented to Neighborhood Youth and Family Counseling of Richardson, Inc.
Boots, Denise Paquette (March 2007).
Surviving the First Year as an Assistant Professor (and Beyond!). Session Organizer and Chair. Panel to be conducted at the annual meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in Seattle, Washington.
Boots, Denise Paquette, Jennifer Wareham, and Jorge Chavez (November 2006).
A Test of Social Learning Theory among Domestic Batterers. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Los Angeles, California.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2005).
The Relationship of Mental Disorders and Violence in At-Risk Youth. Poster presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Toronto, Canada.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2005).
The Role of Mental Disorders in Violent Offending of Pittsburgh Youth Study Boys. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Toronto, Canada.
Cochran, John K., Denise Paquette Boots and Mitchell B. Chamlin (September 2005).
Political ideology and support for capital punishment: A test of attribution theory. Paper presented at the Southern Criminal Justice Association meeting in Jacksonville, Florida.
Boots, Denise Paquette and Heide, Kathleen M. (November 2004).
A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Kids Who Kill Parents and What Happens to Them. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Nashville, Tennessee.
Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2004).
The Role of Mental Illness and Family Social Factors in Explaining Violence and Homicide Across the Lifecourse. Poster presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Nashville, Tennessee.
Boots, Denise Paquette (June 2004).
Pittsburgh Youth Study: Mental Health, Attachment, Child Maltreatment, and Parental Psychopathology and Violent and Homicidal Behaviors Over the Lifecourse. Paper presented at the National Consortium on Violence Research Summer Workshop in Miami Beach, Florida.
Heide, Kathleen M., Boots, Denise Paquette, Alldredge, Craig, Donerly, Brian, and White, Jennifer Rebecca (March 2004).
Battered Child Syndrome: An Overview of Case Law and Legislation. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Heide, Kathleen M., and Boots, Denise Paquette (November 2003).
Parricide: An In-Depth Look at Kids Who Kill Parents and What Happens to Them. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Denver, Colorado.
Boots, Denise Paquette (April 2003).
Measuring Capital Punishment Sentiment Toward Juvenile, Mentally Ill, and Mentally Retarded Offenders: A Quasi-Experimental Approach. Paper presented at the Second Annual Graduate Research Symposium, University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences.
Boots, Denise Paquette, John K. Cochran, and Kathleen M. Heide (November 2002).
Using the Factorial Survey to Measure Public Support and Consensus for Capital Punishment for Special Offenders: Juveniles, the Mentally Ill, and the Mentally Retarded. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Chicago, Illinois.
Boots, Denise Paquette & Jennifer Wareham (April 2002).
Causes and Correlates of Racial Overrepresentation in the Criminal Justice System. Paper presented at panel session of the Florida Legislature as part of National Council on Crime and Delinquency Testimony on the Over-Representation of Minority Youth in Criminal Justice System in Tallahassee, Florida.
Boots, Denise Paquette, John K. Cochran, and Kathleen M. Heide (November 2001).
Public Opinion and Capital Punishment for Juveniles, the Mentally Incompetent, and the Mentally Retarded: A Test of Attribution Theory. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Atlanta, Georgia.
Research Experience
Current Research Project:
Feb 2005- present PI for study: An Examination of Social Learning Theory and Attributions on Intimate Partner Violence: A Batterer’s Perspective Co-PIs: Jennifer Wareham (Wayne State University) & Jorge Chavez (Bowling Green State University)
- independently collected and funded data collection from clients in Level 2 offender intervention programs within Hillsborough County, Florida
- individual and structural-level social learning variables
- measures of attributions toward crime and blameworthiness
- factorial survey design vignettes across multiple dimensions/levels
Research Assistantships:
August 2001- August 2004 Graduate Research Assistant
Dr. Kathleen M. Heide, Department of Criminology Professor
Former Interim Dean, CAS, University of South Florida
- responsible for independent research, data collection, coding, and analyses
- proofed manuscripts and provided research support for numerous projects
- mentored junior graduate students in research methods and analysis
- Updated: October 3, 2007
