Chris Melde
Associate Professor
Chris Melde is an expert in youth violence, gangs, school violence, and youth violence prevention and intervention strategies
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Chris Melde is an affiliated faculty member in Global Urban Studies and the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University, and a research associate at the Michigan Justice Statistics Center. His primary research interests include street gangs, youth violence, adolescent development, individual and community reactions to crime and victimization risk, school violence, and program evaluation. He is currently the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several ... funded projects, including two National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded projects on school safety in the Flint, MI area. These projects focus on the role of school safety in the successful transition to high school and the implementation of best practices for developing a positive and safe school climate. Dr. Melde was awarded the 2015 Tory J. Caeti Memorial Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Juvenile Justice section, given in recognition of the contribution of emerging scholars to the field of juvenile justice, for his work on gangs and youth violence prevention.
Read MoreEducation
University of Missouri - St. Louis: Ph.D., | 2007
University of Missouri - St. Louis: M.A., | 2004
Loras College: B.A., | 2001
Selected Press
Study Links Gang Membership and Depression
Michigan State University | 2016-04-13
“Youth who join a gang are much more likely to have mental health issues, and then being in the gang actually makes it worse,” said Chris Melde, MSU associate professor of criminal justice. “It doesn’t act as an antidepressant. And some people may be seeking that out – a sense of well-being or purpose.”
Scared of Crime? Good.
Michigan State University | 2014-08-12
The study, published online in the journal Justice Quarterly, suggests adolescents who are more fearful of crime are less apt to become victims and offenders of violent acts. Essentially, fearful youth tend to avoid potentially dangerous people, locations and activities such as drug-fueled parties, said Chris Melde, MSU associate professor of criminal justice...
