Robert Keeton

Educational Background

• M.S. Criminology; Florida State University (2007)
  - Master’s thesis: “Moral Panic Evaluation of Sex Offender Policy in Florida”
• B.S. Police Administration, Political Science minor; Eastern Kentucky University (2001)

Background

Originally from central Kentucky, I came to Knoxville via a seven-year stay in Panama City, Florida.  I have 10 years of full-time police experience, which included 2 years in grant writing and management, a variety of instructor training seminars, and work as a Patrol K-9 officer, Traffic Homicide Investigator, and Field Training Officer.  I also spent 2 ½ years as an Adjunct Instructor at the Criminal Justice Training Academy in Panama City, and a year as Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Gulf Coast Community College. 

Research Interests

My current research interests include the philosophical and historical foundations of the American criminal justice system and government and how they apply to modern perspectives of crime, deviance, and criminal justice policy.  Specifically, I am concerned with how these early ideas of justice and democracy have evolved over time and how they manifest themselves in modern society.  I am also interested in how media representations of crime and deviance influence social perceptions, public policy, and the criminal justice system. These interests are particularly centered on crimes and harm caused by the elite and powerful in society that are justified or protected by our social institutions and a manipulation of our founding principles.  My goal is to earn a position at an educational or policy institution where I can continue my research and find ways to facilitate changes in public policy that will address all harms and injustices in society while holding the powerful accountable for their actions.

Contact Information

Robert Keeton
Department of Sociology
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0490