CSDE Research Areas:
- Environments and Populations
- Health of People and Populations
Dr. Tillyer is a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research examines how environmental and situational factors shape criminal opportunities that produce crime and victimization patterns. Her recent interdisciplinary work has focused on understanding the role of the built environment in producing spatiotemporal crime patterns, with a focus on the public safety benefits of investment. Her work in this area has demonstrated 1) physical property investment is associated with crime reductions at small spatial scales, with no evidence of spatial crime displacement to nearby locations, 2) there is moderate diffusion of crime prevention benefits to nearby locations, 3) investment is particularly impactful in the most under-resourced communities that have historically experienced disinvestment, and 4) investment can mitigate the criminogenic effects of commercial places that communities and residents need but often produce crime. Dr. Tillyer’s work has been funded by the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the City of San Antonio, Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, and the Justice Research and Statistics Association.