Samantha Kopf-Apple, Ph.D.

Position: Assistant Professor
Phone: 419-372-8905
Email: skopf@bgsu.edu

Bio

Dr. Samantha Kopf earned her Ph.D. in Sociology with a focus in Criminology and Quantitative Methods from Bowling Green State University in 2023. She joined the faculty at BGSU as an Assistant Professor in 2023. Her primary research interests include life-course and developmental criminology, the effects of early life turning points (such as juvenile arrest and victimization) have on later life outcomes (such as family relationships, employment, and civic engagement), and victimology. She teaches several undergraduate level courses including Research Methods for the Human Services, Introduction to the Criminal Justice System, and the Juvenile Justice Subsystems. She has published papers in Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, American Journal of Criminal Justice,and Crime & Delinquency.

Selected Publications

Kopf, S., Kuhl, D. C., & Clark, S. (2026). Gendered Pathways From Victimization to Offending: The Influences of Victimization Subtype and Low Self-Control. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 41(5-6), 1267-1293.

Rydarowicz, A., Moore, A., & Kopf, S. (2026). Criminalizing education: the racialized link between school suspensions and arrests. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 1-26.

Kopf, S., & Kuhl, D. C. (2025). Contingencies in Victim-Offender Overlap: Do Timing and Number of Arrests Matter?. Victims & Offenders, 20(5-6), 954-975.

Kopf, S., & Rydarowicz, A. (2025). Criminal Labels, Racial Inequities, and the Lifelong Impact of Early Arrests on Employment. Race and Justice, 21533687251341273.

Kopf, S. (2024). Timing matters: Exploring the age-graded effects of juvenile arrest on educational attainment. Crime & Delinquency, 72(1), 34-57.