Department of Criminal Justice

Contact Information

273B Chilton Hall
University of North Texas
Department of Criminal Justice
1155 Union Circle #305130
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-4591
940-565-2548 fax
Scott.Belshaw@unt.edu

Interests

Juvenile Delinquency
Criminal Justice Ethics (Philosophy and Practice)
Criminal Law
Sentencing (Adult and Juvenile)
Capital Punishment
Private Security and Investigations

Biography

Scott Belshaw holds a Ph.D in Juvenile Justice from Prairie View A&M University. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences and Psychology from the University of Houston. He also holds both a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Philosophy from Houston Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Criminology from the University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Dr. Belshaw has published in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, the American Journal of Criminal Justice and numerous other educational and criminal justice journals. Dr. Belshaw's criminal justice experience includes working for the Harris County Adult Probation Department and serving as the gang intelligence officer for the state jail in Houston, Texas. Dr. Belshaw also served as a probation and sentencing advisor to the judges of Harris County, Texas.

Prior to entering academia, Dr. Belshaw owned and operated a Forensic Investigation and Mitigation company licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Dr. Belshaw's company serviced numerous criminal law firms, governmental agencies and members of the general public. Dr. Belshaw has been appointed by the various district and appellate courts to assist in numerous capital murder cases (trial and appellate cases). Dr. Belshaw is an expert in the field of criminal mitigation and sentencing and has been called upon numerous times to testify in that capacity. Dr. Belshaw has also worked on cases in the juvenile justice field including transfers and certification hearings.

Dr. Belshaw serves on various criminal justice related boards of directors including the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. He currently serves as the chairman of the coalition’s board of directors. Dr. Belshaw also serves on advisory boards for mentoring agencies in the Houston and surrounding areas.

Dr. Belshaw is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served in Operation Desert Storm.