Mitzie Forrest

Dr. Mitzie L. Forrest is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Campbellsville University. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Liberty University, where her dissertation explored law enforcement officers’ lived experiences of occupational stress, job satisfaction, and identity construction within contemporary sociopolitical climates.
Her research interests include law enforcement wellness, leadership culture, organizational resilience, and the evolution of justice systems across cultures. Dr. Forrest’s intent for future research includes an international research focus on the historical development of Mongolian criminal law — tracing its roots from Genghis Khan’s Yassa through the Soviet era to modern post-independence reforms.

Dr. Forrest has professional field experience as a corrections officer, transit authority officer, armed security officer, and as an intelligence/crime analyst. She has served as a consultant on recidivism for a non-profit organization on inmate reentry programs and for a legal firm investigating the construction of a new healthcare facility and the environmental crime prevention strategies necessary to ensure employee and patient safety in the geographic area. Additionally, she supervises undergraduate and graduate research on crime, criminology, food insecurity and its correlation to violent crime, other social determinants of violence, as well as the influence of adverse childhood events on criminality.

Her teaching philosophy integrates experiential learning, comparative and cultural criminology, and the ethical dimensions of justice to prepare students for both local and global service.