Dr. Jolin is an emerita Professor in the Criminology & Criminal Justice Department. Prior to earning her doctoral degree, Dr. Jolin worked as one of the Portland Police Bureau’s first female patrol officers. She is a former long-time chair of the Criminology & Criminal Justice Department and lead a number of innovations that helped contribute to CCJ’s strong reputation for quality research and productive partnerships with criminal justice agencies and policymakers. Dr. Jolin was also instrumental in the formation of the CCJ online program, PSU's first and largest fully online degree program.
Originally from Germany, Dr. Jolin’s main research interests are in international law enforcement and comparative law enforcement policies and practices. Her work in this area includes a focus on German and U.S. policing strategies relating to prostitution and domestic violence. This work was published both in Germany and the United States and led to Dr. Jolin’s selection as a Fulbright Scholar. In addition, Dr. Jolin has a strong interest in the role of gender both in crime and in victimization. She has lead studies and published multiple works on this topic, including a federally-funded experimental evaluation of domestic violence policing within the City of Portland. In addition to teaching PSU students, Dr. Jolin has taught in prisons, at police academies, and has been involved in local domestic violence prevention, police accountability, and racial profiling initiatives.