Emeritus Professor

About

  • Role:

    Emeritus
  • Position:

    • Emeritus Professor
  • Concentration:

    • Criminology and Criminal Justice
    • Policy Analysis
    • Program Evaluation
  • Department:

    • Sociology
  • Education:

    • Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Biography

Dr. Unnithan is a Professor of Sociology at CSU. He was born and brought up in Malaysia, completed Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminology and Forensic Science in India and received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  He has been a faculty member at Colorado State University since 1987.  In 2019, the College of Liberal Arts named Dr. Unnithan a John N. Stern Distinguished Professor.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia.

Dr. Unnithan's research and teaching involve a broad range of topics related to criminology and criminal justice.  His co-authored book, The Currents of Lethal Violence (State University of New York Press) received the 1995 Distinguished Book Award from the Mid-South Sociological Association. He co-authored Guns, Violence and Criminal Behavior (Lynne Rienner, 2009) and Policing & Society: A Global Approach (Cengage, 2011).  Dr. Unnithan compiled and edited Crime and Justice in India (Sage, 2013) and co-edited Violence against Women in India (2018, Routledge, Taylor and Francis)   He was Editor of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education between 1999 and 2002; the Social Science Journal, 2006 through 2011;  and, co-edited the Sociological Quarterly (with Michael G. Lacy) from 2016 to 2020.

Dr. Unnithan served as President of the Western Social Science Association in 2014-2015.  He was elected Secretary to the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences serving from 2013 to 2016 and was then elected President of the organization for 2019-2020.