Bobbie Ticknor, PhD
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice at Valdosta State University
From Valdosta, GA
From Valdosta, GA
Dr. Bobbie Ticknor joined the Valdosta State University faculty in June 2014. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in criminal justice and a Master of Science in criminal justice, both from the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Northern Kentucky University. She sits on the advisory board for Virtual Rehab and the National Incarceration Association. She provides training and assistance to various criminal justice agencies and has written several cognitive-based programs used for correctional rehabilitation and family social support. Her continued interest in technology inspired her exploration into virtual reality and correctional rehabilitation. She was the principal researcher on the first pilot in the country to use virtual reality to treat an offender population. This research has extended into additional areas such as experimental research and experiential learning opportunities for students. She designed and launched the VSU Virtual Reality Lab in the Fall of 2019. She works with various departments around campus to incorporate the technology and continues to develop ways to use virtual reality to address real world problems. She holds membership in the Southern Criminal Justice Association, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, American Society of Criminology, and Georgia Prison Reentry Initiative.
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Associate Professor at Valdosta State University
July 2019 - Present
Assistant Professor at Valdosta State University
During this time period, I earned the following awards and recognitions:
* 2016-2017 Criminal Justice Practitioner Outreach Program, University System of Georgia. $50,000
* 2016-2017 Sexual Assault Prevention Bystander Intervention, University System of Georgia. $20,000
* 2016-2017 VSU Walking Trail System, University System of Georgia. $3,000
July 2014 - July 2019
Research Associate and Project Manager at University of Cincinnati
September 2010 - July 2014
Adjunct Professor at University of Cincinnati
During this time period, I earned the following awards and recognitions:
* 2012-2014 The Virtual Environment for the Treatment of Offenders (VETO): Pilot 1.0, University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute. $3,000.
September 2009 - May 2014
Facilitator for Distance Learning Program at University of Cincinnati
September 2007 - September 2009
Consultant/Owner at AMB Consulting Services
August 2001 - August 2007
Consultant at IBM
June 1996 - August 2001
You’ve been served (or not): Sex Offender Treatment in Florida and Georgia
Bingham, R., & Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at the Southern Criminal Justice Association Annual Meeting. September, 2018. Pensacola, FL.
September 2018 -
Presentations
Virtual reality in offender treatment: Exploring the possibilities
Ticknor, B., Oral Presentation presented at Academy of Criminal Justice Science Annual Meeting. February, 2018. New Orleans, LA.
February 2018 -
Presentations
SORNA tier classification: Evaluating the impact of prosecutorial charging decisions
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at Academy of Criminal Justice Science Annual Meeting. November, 2015. Washington, DC.
November 2015 -
Presentations
Incorporating virtual reality into offender treatment: Lessons learned
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at Academy of Criminal Justice Science Annual Meeting. March, 2015. San Francisco, CA.
March 2015 -
Presentations
The sex offender registry: An evaluation of the post-Adam Walsh Act classification and public safety in Ohio
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. November, 2014. San Francisco, CA.
November 2014 -
Presentations
Virtual reality and rehabilitation: Pilot 1.0
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. November, 2013. Atlanta, GA.
November 2013 -
Presentations
Principles of effective intervention: Incorporating virtual reality into treatment
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. November, 2012.Chicago, IL.
November 2012 -
Presentations
SAY WHAT? An interactive examination of memorable quotes from ten years of correctional assessment
Ticknor, B. & Sullivan, C. Poster Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. November, 2012. Chicago, IL.
November 2012 -
Presentations
Virtual reality and the criminal justice system: New possibilities for treating criminal populations
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. November 2011. Washington D. C.
November 2011 -
Presentations
Murder in the military: U.S. soldiers in the European Theater of Operations, WWII
Lilly, J. R., Ticknor, B., & Girton, B. Paper presented at the ESSHC Network Conference. February, 2008. Lisbon, Portugal.
February 2008 -
Presentations
Virtual reality and the criminal justice system: Exploring the possibilities for correctional rehabilitation
Ticknor, B. (2018). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Publications
Virtual reality and correctional rehabilitation: A game changer.
Ticknor, B. (2019). Criminal Justice and Behavior. Virtual reality (VR) has been used for learning and treatment for decades. Few efforts have been made to incorporate this technology into correctional rehabilitation. Advances in VR systems, reductions in price, and the broader availability of the technology now make this effort more attainable. This article introduces readers to VR and explains how it can be used to enhance current efforts in offender treatment.
Articles
Using Virtual Reality to Treat Offenders: An Examination.
Ticknor, B. (2018). International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 13(2), 316-325.
Articles
Evaluating the accuracy of SORNA: Testing for classification errors and racial bias
Ticknor, B. & Warner, J. J. (2018). Criminal Justice Policy Review, 1-19. Since its enactment in 2006, several researchers have explored whether the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) classification system under the Adam Walsh Act improves outcomes such as increasing public safety and lowering recidivism of sexual offenders. This study adds to the growing body of literature by exploring how accurate this offense-based classification system is in terms of recidivism and if there is any racial bias in tier designation. Specifically, results from contingency analyses suggest that several sex offenders are overclassified, meaning that they were given a classification status that included more supervision and oversight although they did not commit another offense. Furthermore, African Americans were two-and-a-half times more likely to be overclassified than Caucasians which suggests racial bias may exist in this government-sponsored classification system. Implications for communities and the continued use of the SORNA are presented.
Articles
Creating a virtual environment for the treatment of offenders: Pilot 1.0
Ticknor, B. (2017). Corrections Today, 79(3), 46-50.
Articles
The effect of attachment and self- control on status offending among Puerto Rican high school students
Alvarez-Rivera, L., Price, A. & Ticknor, B. (2016). American Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(2), 329-349. This study tests the cross-cultural applicability of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime and self-control theory by examining self-reported status offenses among a sample of Puerto Rican adolescents. Data come from a 2005 sample of 298 youth ages 14–19, representing both the public and private school systems in Puerto Rico. Using a series of multivariate regressions, three hypotheses were tested. First, low attachment to parents, schools, peers, and church will positively and significantly predict status offenses among both public and private students. Second, low self-control will positively and significantly increase status offenses among each group. Finally, the effects of attachment on offending will be mediated by self-control. Results show support for both social control theory (via institutional attachment) and general theory of crime (via self-control). Both the measures of attachment and self-control contribute to explaining status offenses. Self-control partially mediates the effects of attachment on status offenses.
Articles
Studying corporate crime: Making the case for virtual reality
Kennedy, J. & Ticknor, B. (2012). International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 7(1), 416-460.
Articles
Virtual reality and the criminal justice system: New possibilities for research, training, and rehabilitation
Ticknor, B. & Tillinghast, S. (2011). Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 4(2), 4-44. Virtual reality systems are used to achieve a broad range of goals in a variety of fields of study. The criminal justice system can benefit from this rapidly expanding technology in three specific ways. First, the issues of experimental control and problematic research methodologies can be addressed. Second, both practitioners and offenders can benefit from training within virtual environments. Third, rehabilitation efforts can be improved by providing offenders a safe and controlled environment for treatment. With dwindling resources and increasing correctional populations, virtual reality offers cost-efficient and effective means of addressing the diverse needs of the criminal justice system.
Articles
Group treatment
Ticknor, B. (2017). In C. J, Schreck (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Others
Virtual reality has therapeutic applications
Ticknor, B. (2017). In S. Henneberg (Ed.), Virtual Reality. New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing.
Others
Ohio’s reentry coalitions: Year one evaluations
Latessa, E., Lovins, B., Lux, J. & Ticknor, B. (2012) OCJS Research Brief, 1(2), 1-4.
Others
Phrenology
Ticknor, B. (2010). In F. T. Cullen & P. Wilcox (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Criminological Theory (pp. 709-711). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Others
How virtual reality can help treat sex offenders
Ticknor, B. (2014, November 14). The Conversation.
Articles
A cognitive-behavioral treatment intervention for sex offenders
Ticknor, B, Smith, P., & Schweitzer, M. (2013, May 15). Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections Newsletter.
Articles
One tier at a time: Evaluating sex offender recidivism under the Adam Walsh Act
Ticknor, B. Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. 2018. Atlanta, GA.
Presentations
A game changer? Uses for virtual reality in the criminal justice system
Ticknor, B., Oral Presentation presented at American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting. 2016. New Orleans, LA.
Presentations