Faculty and Students Working to Combat Trafficking in Persons

A variety of faculty and students across the University of New Haven have an interest in combating Trafficking in Persons and using forensic science and related technologies to fight this epidemic. Below is a sampling of the people who conduct research and do work in this area of expertise and who will serve as resources for the Center for Forensic Investigation of Trafficking in Persons. We will continue to add to this listing over time.

Faculty Involvement

Mario Thomas Gaboury, J.D., Ph.D.

Mario Thomas Gaboury, J.D., Ph.D. is Dean of the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven.  He is formerly Deputy Director, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. Dr. Gaboury joined the full-time faculty of criminal justice at the University of New Haven in 1996 and is a tenured Professor of Criminal Justice. He previously served as Associate Dean of the college and also served as Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice. He held the Oskar Schindler Humanities Foundation Endowed Professorship From 2007-2009.

He currently serves as a member of the Connecticut Victims' Rights Enforcement Advisory Commission. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies and also serves on the Connecticut Human Trafficking Council. He served twice on the Advisory Board to the CT Office of the Victim Advocate. He is formerly Chair of the CT Bar Association's Victims Committee and Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association's Crime Victim Committee.

Dr. Gaboury was the founding President of the American Society of Victimology.  His current research focuses on Victimology, victims' rights, global human trafficking, victim impact education, restorative justice, and community policing.  His scholarly articles have appeared in the following journals:  Victims and Offenders; Forensic Nursing, Offender Rehabilitation; Comprehensive Psychiatry; Traumatic Stress; International Perspectives on Victimology and, Child and Youth Services. He is co-author of Crime Victim Right and Remedies (2010, 2nd Edition).

David W. Webb, Ph.D.

David W. Webb is a faculty member at the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences and became the Director of the Center for Advanced Policing in September 2014. He was formerly the Associate Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT). He holds a B.A. in political science and is a graduate of Bramshill Police Command College in England. David completed his Ph.D. at Sam Houston State University, and holds a Management Diploma from the National Examination Board (UK).

David relocated to the United States after spending over 30 years in policing in the United Kingdom, the last twelve years of which were at the rank Chief Superintendent of Police. As Director of Training he ran the Devon and Cornwall Police College, before moving to London as a Senior Police Advisor to the Home Office Police Department Office of Science and Technology. David has worked extensively with overseas police departments in Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as with many in the United States.  He is an experienced administrator and is the recipient of a government research award for innovation in policing.

His policing interests include decision-making, human trafficking, political violence and organizational issues. His latest book, “Competence and Policing – a Research Study” was published in July 2008. He has a long publication list, including a number of journal articles on human trafficking. These date back over the past 15 years. He has undertaken research in the field, and has reviewed underperforming Human Trafficking Task Force operations at workshops held in Houston, Texas. He is the co-author of the on-line Human Trafficking course for Texas Law Enforcement officers (commissioned by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education).

Full biography page >>

Student Involvement

Coalition to Combat Trafficking in Persons

The group's goal is to promote awareness, education and raise funds to directly support efforts to combat the issue of trafficking in persons.

In addition to regular meetings for undergraduate and graduate students involved with the group, CCTIP helped sponsor an expert panel on human trafficking, and sponsored events related to the commemoration and memorial of the Armenian Genocide, domestic violence on college campuses, and a “Knitting for Freedom” event to make items for survivors of human trafficking.

Learn more on the CCTIP Facebook page >>