Mississippi State University Professor Nicole E. Rader has received the 2025 Robert Jerin Book Award for her 2023 publication, “Teaching Fear: How We Learn to Fear Crime and Why It Matters.”
The award, presented by the Division of Victimology of the American Society of Criminology, recognizes a book that contributes significantly to scholarship on victims and victimization.
“Teaching Fear” examines how fear of crime is learned and reinforced by families, schools and media, and how it influences behavior, perceptions of safety and broader social outcomes. The book was published by Temple University Press.
The Robert Jerin Book Award is one of the Division of Victimology’s highest honors, recognizing work that advances understanding of victimization and shapes future research. Rader’s book was cited for its research rigor, relevance across audiences and its impact on discussions of crime and fear.
In addition, Rader’s book received the 2024 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Division of Feminist Criminology for its contribution to understanding how fear of crime is socially constructed.
Rader serves as head of Mississippi State’s Department of Sociology. She said receiving the award is meaningful because it was granted by peers in her subfield of victimology.
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