Dianne White, M.A.,J.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Criminal Justice
(508) 849-3417
Office: Trinity 217
Education:
Doctor of Philosophy, Politics, Brandeis University
Master of Arts, Politics, Brandeis University
Juris Doctorate, New England Law - Boston
Master of Arts, Philosophy, Boston College
Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Philosophy, Suffolk University
Biography:
Dr. White is an attorney and a juvenile court investigator for the Commonwealth, investigating cases of abuse and neglect perpetrated against children and addressing the needs of children in state care. She also volunteers as an educational advocate for such children in the public schools.
Dr. White began her legal career as a prosecutor intern for the Commonwealth, prosecuting crimes in district court. She then went into private practice taking on both criminal and civil legal work in various state and federal courts in Massachusetts. Dr. White began teaching at Boston area colleges and universities during her first year as a doctoral student at Brandeis University in 1998. She joined the Anna Maria full-time faculty in 2005. Dr. White teaches in both the Criminal Justice and Law & Society programs and is the director of the latter. She enjoys teaching in an interactive and interdisciplinary fashion, often including the students in developing course curricula.
Courses Taught at Anna Maria:
Criminal Law
Domestic Violence
Gender, Crime and Justice
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Women and Crime (graduate class)
American Government
Constitutional Law
Juvenile Law
Law and Society
Philosophy of Law
The Rights Debate
The Supreme Court (graduate class)
Research Interests:
Family violence
Juvenile Law
Women and crime
The politics of prosecution
Publications:
“Legal Retrenchment in Massachusetts: Battered Women Who Kill and the Politics of Prosecution,” Criminal Law Bulletin, 2013.
Presentations:
Paper presentation, “My Brother’s Keeper?: Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and the Commonwealth’s Response to Family Violence,” Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL
Paper presentation, “Unintended Consequences: The Multiple Benefits of Implementing Mock Trials in the Classroom,” Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Bristol, RI.
Paper presentation, “Domestic Homicide in Massachusetts Redux: The Criminal Prosecution of Battered Women Who Kill,” Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, New York, NY.
Paper presentation, “Not All Homicides are Created Equal: The Law of Self Defense and the Criminal Prosecution of Battered Women Who Kill,” Academy of Criminal Justice Science Conference, Boston, MA.
Paper Presentation: “Battered Women and American Criminal Justice: Battered Women Who Kill in Self-Defense” - an empirical study of all U.S. appellate cases on point, New England Political Science Association, Portsmouth, NH.
Doctor of Philosophy, Politics, Brandeis University
Master of Arts, Politics, Brandeis University
Juris Doctorate, New England Law - Boston
Master of Arts, Philosophy, Boston College
Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Philosophy, Suffolk University
Biography:
Dr. White is an attorney and a juvenile court investigator for the Commonwealth, investigating cases of abuse and neglect perpetrated against children and addressing the needs of children in state care. She also volunteers as an educational advocate for such children in the public schools.
Dr. White began her legal career as a prosecutor intern for the Commonwealth, prosecuting crimes in district court. She then went into private practice taking on both criminal and civil legal work in various state and federal courts in Massachusetts. Dr. White began teaching at Boston area colleges and universities during her first year as a doctoral student at Brandeis University in 1998. She joined the Anna Maria full-time faculty in 2005. Dr. White teaches in both the Criminal Justice and Law & Society programs and is the director of the latter. She enjoys teaching in an interactive and interdisciplinary fashion, often including the students in developing course curricula.
Courses Taught at Anna Maria:
Criminal Law
Domestic Violence
Gender, Crime and Justice
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Women and Crime (graduate class)
American Government
Constitutional Law
Juvenile Law
Law and Society
Philosophy of Law
The Rights Debate
The Supreme Court (graduate class)
Research Interests:
Family violence
Juvenile Law
Women and crime
The politics of prosecution
Publications:
“Legal Retrenchment in Massachusetts: Battered Women Who Kill and the Politics of Prosecution,” Criminal Law Bulletin, 2013.
Presentations:
Paper presentation, “My Brother’s Keeper?: Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and the Commonwealth’s Response to Family Violence,” Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, IL
Paper presentation, “Unintended Consequences: The Multiple Benefits of Implementing Mock Trials in the Classroom,” Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Bristol, RI.
Paper presentation, “Domestic Homicide in Massachusetts Redux: The Criminal Prosecution of Battered Women Who Kill,” Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, New York, NY.
Paper presentation, “Not All Homicides are Created Equal: The Law of Self Defense and the Criminal Prosecution of Battered Women Who Kill,” Academy of Criminal Justice Science Conference, Boston, MA.
Paper Presentation: “Battered Women and American Criminal Justice: Battered Women Who Kill in Self-Defense” - an empirical study of all U.S. appellate cases on point, New England Political Science Association, Portsmouth, NH.
