Dr. William Oliver is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Indiana University. He served
as a member of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community Steering Committee,
University of Minnesota, from 1996-2008. His primary area of research examines the social context and
interpersonal dynamics associated with violent confrontations among African Americans. His book, The Violent
Social World of Black Men has been praised for its revealing analysis of the interpersonal and intrapersonal
dynamics of violent confrontations that occur among black men in street corner social settings. Furthermore, his
paper, “Black Males and Social Problems-Prevention through Afrocentric Socialization”(1989) is the 4th most
frequently cited paper published in the Journal of Black Studies in the last 40 years. In addition, he has also
conducted research in Bermuda, in which he examined how incarcerated violent offenders perceived the causes of
street violence in Bermuda and the various turning points that led them to commit acts of street violence. His more
recent work has focused on the intersection of prisoner reentry and intimate partner violence in the African
American community. Prior to coming to academia full time, Oliver worked as a criminal justice policy analyst for
the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and as an alcohol/corrections specialist for the New York
State Commission on Corrections. Oliver has also held academic appointments at the University of Delaware and
the University of Missouri.
Professor Oliver received his B.S. in political science from Tuskegee University and his masters and Ph.D. in
criminal justice from the School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York at Albany. Oliver was born
and raised in upstate New York.
Selected Publications:

“Prisoner Reentry Planning and Programming must Address Family Reunification, Relationship Conflict, and Domestic
Violence.” In T. Clear, N.Frost & J D. Freilich (Eds.), "Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Policy: Policy Proposals
from the American Society of Criminology Conference.” New York: Centage, (2010), pp. 389-396

“Intimate Partner Violence during the Transition from Prison to the Community-Perspectives of Incarcerated African
American Men.” Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, vol. 16(3), (2008), pp.258-276. (with C.F. Hairston)

“Domestic Violence and Prisoner Reentry-Experiences of African American Men and Women.” New York: Vera Institute
of Justice (with Creasie Finney Hairston), (2006).

“Women’s Experiences with Men’s Incarceration and Reentry.” Women, Girls & Criminal Justice, vol 7(5) (2006), 65-68,
79. (with Creasie Finney Hairston).

“Prisoner Reentry and Intimate Partner Violence in the African American Community: The Case for Culturally Competent
Interventions,” (with O. J. Williams, C.F. Hairston & L. Crowder), Journal of the Institute of Justice & International Studies,
vol 1 (4), (2004), pp. 147-156.

“The Streets: An Alternative Black Male Socialization Institution.” The Journal of Black Studies, vol. 36, (2006), pp. 918937.

“Domestic Violence in the African American Community: An Analysis of Social and Structural Factors.” (with R. Hampton
& L. Magarian). Violence Against Women, vol. 8, (2003), pp.1-25.

“The Structural-Cultural Perspective: A Theory of Black Male Violence”. In D. F. Hawkins (Editor). Violent Crime:
Assessing Race & Ethnic Differences. New York: Cambridge University Press. (2003), pp. 280-302.

The Violent Social World of Black Men. 1998. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publications