Scharie Tavcer

Dr. D. Scharie Tavcer [she/her] is an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Degree Program at Mount Royal University. She believes in teaching that has components of experiential learning (real-world experiences) and that research is applied (it informs how justice professionals do their jobs). Prior to a career in academia, Dr. Tavcer worked for the Correctional Service of Canada as a parole officer and program therapist in Alberta and British Columbia.

Dr. Tavcer holds a Doctorate in Sociology, major in Criminology (2007) with the Albert-Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg, Germany, and a Masters in European Criminology (2001) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Leuven, Belgium. For her undergraduate education, Dr. Tavcer holds a Bachelor of Arts major in Psychology/Sociology (1997) from the University of Alberta and a Diploma of Law Enforcement & Security from Grant MacEwan College (1992).

Dr. Tavcer’s approach in criminal justice extends into the social justice arena. Her work is interdisciplinary and intersectional. The intention is to create applied research so that the important questions continue to be asked. Her topics of teaching and scholarship focus on criminal law, sexual violence, relationship violence, as well as mental illness and its prevalence in corrections, offender reintegration, criminal law and sentencing, and occupational stress injuries in justice workers.