James Nolan, Ph.D.

Professor - Sociology

James Nolan, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University where he teaches courses related to institutional reform, structured inequality, and social control. His research focuses on police reform, hate crime, crime measurement, and institutional reform in higher education. He has received funding in recent years from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the American Statistical Association. In 2014 he was appointed to the National Academy of Science Panel on Modernizing the Nation’s Crime Statistics.

Dr. Nolan’s recent publications include four books: Police Abuse and Reform in America: Examining the Facts (Bloomsbury), Policing in an Age of Reform: An Agenda for Research and Practice (Palgrave/MacMillan), The Violence of Hate: Understanding Harmful Forms of Bias and Bigotry, 4th edition (Rowman & Littlefield), and Engaging Faculty in Group-Level Change for Institutional Transformation: Disrupting Inequity and Building Inclusive Academic Departments (Routledge).

In addition, he has published nearly 70 book chapters and professional journal articles appearing in outlets such as Policing & Society, American Behavioral Scientist; British Journal of Criminology, Journal of Quantitative Criminology; Violence Against Women, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice; Justice, Information Sciences; The Scientific World Journal, Victims & Offenders, Criminal Justice Studies; Violence & Gender, Homicide Studies; Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma, and The American Sociologist.

Dr. Nolan’s professional career began as a police officer in Wilmington, Delaware. In 13 years with that department, he rose to the rank of lieutenant and worked in a variety of divisions, including patrol, community policing, and drug, organized crime and vice. He is a 1992 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy. Just prior to joining the faculty at West Virginia University, Dr. Nolan served as chief of the FBI’s Crime Analysis, Research and Development Unit that provided management oversight for the national crime data collection programs. Dr. Nolan earned a Ph.D. from Temple University. His graduate work focused on the study of group and social processes.

Selected Publications

Nolan, J. J., Ryan, H. And Freeman, M. (2025). Police Abuse and Reform in American: Examining the Facts. New York: Bloomsbury.

Nolan, J. J., DeKeseredy, W.S., and Brownstein, H.H. (2022). Police ethics in a rural context: A left realist consequentialist view. International Journal of Rural Criminology.

Nolan, J.J ., Crispino, F., & Parsons, T. (2021). Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan

Nolan, J.J. & Hin kle, J.C. (2021). Changing the game: A sociological perspective on police reform. In Nolan, J.J., Crispino, F., and Parsons, T. (Eds.) Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice . London: Palgrave Macmillan

Nolan, J.J. & Hinkle, J.C. (2021). Community dynamics, collective efficacy, and police reform. In Nolan, J.J., Crispino, F., and Parsons, T. (Eds.) Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice . London: Palgrave Macmillan

Nolan, J.J. & Hinkle, J.C. (2021). Tools for a new situational policing. In Nolan, J.J., Crispino, F., and Parsons, T. (Eds.) Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice . London: Palgrave Macmillan

N olan, J.J., Parsons, T. & Crispino, F. (2021). “Doing right”: Police ethics in an age of reform. In Nolan, J.J., Crispino, F., and Parsons, T. (Eds.) Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice . London: Palgrave Macmillan

Nolan, J.J. (2021). The allegory of the dangerous intersection: A structural view of law enforcement and social problems. In Nolan, J.J., Crispino, F., and Parsons, T. (Eds.) Policing in an age of reform: An agenda for research and practice . London: Palgrave Macmillan

Levin, J. & Nolan, J. (2016). The Violence of Hate: Understanding Harmful Forms of Bias and Bigotry, 4th Edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Akiyama, Y., Nolan, J. Darrah, M, Rahem, M.A., & Wang, L. (2016). A Method for Measuring Consensus Within Groups: An Index of Disagreement via Conditional Probability. Information Sciences. Elsevier

Nolan, J., Haas, S., & Napier, J. (2011). Estimating the Impact of Classification Error on the “Statistical Accuracy” of Uniform Crime Reports. Journal of Quantitative Criminology.

Nolan, J., Conti, N., & Colyer, C. (2011). A Public Safety Process: Sustained Dialogue for Situational Policing, in Van til, J. Lohmann, R. and Ford, D. (eds.) Sustained Dialogue and Public Deliberation. Columbia University Press

Nolan, J., Kirby, J., Althouse, R. (2011). Facilitating Neighborhood Growth: A Common Sense Public Safety Response from the Relational Paradigm. In Van Til, J., Lohmann, R. & Ford, D. (eds .). Sustained Dialogue and Public Deliberation . Columbia University Press.

Nolan, J., Conti, N., & McDevitt, J. (2004). Situational Policing: Neighborhood Development and Crime Control. Policing & Society.

Nolan, J. (2002). From Vice Cop to Sociology Prof: A Long Journey to a Familiar Place in The American Sociologist, 33(2).

Courses Taught

SOCA 232 Criminology
SOCA 234 The Criminal Justice System
SOCA 318 Hate Crime
SOCA 461 Issues Crime and Justice
SOCA 493 Inside Out Prison Exchange