Kelly M. Socia, Ph.D., is a professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he is also the Assistant Director of the Center for Public Opinion. His research interests include punitive views, sex offense policies, public opinion and perceptions, and policymaking. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has provided expert witness reports and testimony in over a dozen court cases around the country.