John P. J. Dussich, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

Educational Background

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Clinical Psychology— Florida State University, 1960
• Master of Science Degree in Corrections and Criminology— Florida State University,  1963
• Ph.D. in Sociology and Criminology— Florida State University, 1975
  
  

Biographical Sketch

His early specialties focused on prison administration, work release, youth adventure programs, and media violence. He worked in the Florida Prison system in 1962. In 1967 he was a warden of a military prison in Germany. In 1973 he began writing and studying in the new field of Victimology, a result of having been mentored by Stephen Schafer, one of the pioneers in this emerging discipline. In 1983 he completed a major research project to measure the dynamics of Social Coping of youth under parole. This research formed the thesis for his Psych-Social Coping theory. His specialties within Victimology have centered on

• Victim advocacy
• Program development
• Victimization studies
• Elder victims
• Spouse abuse
• Child abuse
• The use of volunteers in victim assistance
• Non-reporting of sexual assault, and
• Abuse of power.

He created the victim advocate concept and established the first program in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1974. He is the founder of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) which he launched in Fresno in 1976.

Founding Secretary General of the World Society and former President from 2006-2009 of Victimology which was launched in Munster, Germany in 1979.

He was instrumental in the founding of the American Society of Victimology launched in Kansas City, Kansas in January 2003.

He served in the Military Police Corps of the US Army 29 years, retiring in 1993 at the rank of Colonel. His major theoretical work was the creation of the Social Coping Model in 1982 which he has since used to explain the etiology of victimization as well as to explain the process of recovery.

In 1993 he was invited to Japan to teach Victimology at the Tokiwa University (the center for victimological studies in Asia). He became a Member, Japanese Society of Victimology, Japan, 1994 – present. He conceived of and later (with Professors Tomita and Nagai) launched the Mito Victim Support Center (later to become the Ibaraki Support Center). With the support of the Tokiwa University, he created the Tokiwa International Victimology Institute in October, 2003 and was then appointed as its Director where he served for ten years retiring March of 2014.

He is fluent in Italian, German, Spanish and also speaks Japanese. He has taught, conducted research and delivered victim services in Germany, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Israel, Sudan, Indonesia, Japan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Taiwan, India, Nepal and China. As a crisis intervener, he has responded to victims of crime since 1978, the Kobe earthquake in Japan 1995, the Bosnian post war crisis in 1996, the January San Salvador earthquake in El Salvador in 2001, the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on New York City in 2001, Indonesia-the Great Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami of 2004.

Courses Taught

• Crim 100-Criminology
• Crim 140-Domestic Violence
• Crim 160T-Elder Abuse
• Crim 175-Victimology
• Crim 176-Victim Services
• Crim 182-Internship in Victimology
• Crim 190-Victimology Independent Study
• Crim 192-Readings in Victimology
• Crim 270T-Issues in International Victimology
• Crim 275-Victimology and Social Change
• Crim 298-Law Enforcement Masters' Project

top of page