Keith Cruise received his Ph.D. (2000) from the University of North Texas and his Master of Legal Studies degree (1995) from the University of Nebraska. He is joining the UNL faculty in Fall 2026 as Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the UNL Center on Children, Families, and the Law. Prior to joining the UNL faculty, Dr. Cruise was a core faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Fordham University (2006 to 2026) where he held various department administrative positions and co-directed the Forensic Major Area of Study. 

Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of adolescents experiencing youth justice system involvement. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized youth risk/needs assessments and case planning protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments that support identifying and responding to mental health needs of youth at the youth justice system intake, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. His work has been funded (NIJ, OJJDP, and SAMHSA) by multiple federal granting agencies. Dr. Cruise also conducts forensic evaluations of adolescents and emerging adults who are experiencing justice system involvement, provides expert testimony in various juvenile and adult criminal court proceedings, and provides technical assistance and consultation to local and state youth justice systems. 

Dr. Cruise’s broad training in clinical forensic psychology and law informs his research interests and clinical practice. His work is grounded in the position that mental health professionals who are responsible for assessing and treating adolescents experiencing youth justice system involvement must base their work on empirically supported decision tools and interventions. Translating research finding into practical and effective policy and practice is a central to his work and supports his role as Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a training and technical assistance center within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. 

Link to Curriculum Vitae

Selected Publications

1. Ford, J. D., Kerig, P. K., & Cruise, K. R. (in press). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and complex trauma-related disorders among youth involved in juvenile justice: What works. In C.M. Langton & J.B. Worling (Eds.), What works with youth who have offended: Theory, research and practice.  Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Kleeven, A. T. H., Hilterman, E. L. B., De Vries Robbé, M., Popma, A., Cruise, K. R., & Mulder, E. A. (2025). Towards clinically meaningful subtyping of youth with violent behavior: Application of latent profile analysis to a risk-strengths based risk assessment model. Psychology, Crime & Law, 31(9), 1077–1101. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2024.2332926 
3. Weinberger, E. C., Cruise, K. R., Auguste, E. E., & Samuels, J. K. (2023). The Structured Trauma-Related Experiences and Symptoms Screener (STRESS): Assessing factor structure and clinical utility in a juvenile justice sample. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 15(Suppl 1), S143–S153. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001310 
4. Feingold, Z. R., Cruise, K. R., & Glover, A. (2023). Assessment and treatment of adolescents and emerging adults in jails. In V. Barber Rioja, A Garcia-Mansilla, B. Subedi, & A. Batastini, (Eds.), Handbook of mental health assessment and treatment in jails (pp. 194-201). New York, NY: Oxford
5. Auguste, E. E., Cruise, K. R., & Jimenez, M. C. (2021). The effects of microaggressions on depression in young adults of color: Investigating the impact of traumatic event exposures and trauma reactions. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 34(5), 985–994. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22675 
6. Cruise, K. R., Howard, M. L., Pickens, I. B., & Halladay-Goldman, J. (2019). Trauma-informed Juvenile Court Self-Assessment. National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Los Angeles, CA. 
7. Ford, J. D., Cruise, K. R., Grasso, D., & Holloway, E. D. (2018). A study of the impact of screening for poly-victimization in juvenile justice:  The rocky road to a successful investigation in the real world. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33, 810-831. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517744844
8. Pickens, I. B., Howard, M. L., Halladay-Goldman, J., Cruise, K. R. and Watson, K. R. (2019), Development and pilot of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Trauma-Informed Juvenile Court Self-Assessment. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 70, 31-54. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12135 
9. Holloway, E. D., Cruise, K. R., Morin, S. L., Kaufman, H., & Steele, R. D. (2018). Juvenile probation officers' evaluation of traumatic event exposures and traumatic stress symptoms as responsivity factors in risk assessment and case planning. Law and Human Behavior, 42(4), 369–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000283 
10. Holloway, E. D., Cruise, K. R., Downs, S. M., Monahan, P. O., & Aalsma, M. C. (2017). Juvenile probation officer self-assessed mental health competency as a predictor of case management practices. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 44(4), 534–546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-016-0734-5