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College of Applied Science and Technology

Dr. Ralph Weisheit

Distinguished Professor
Office
SCH Schroeder Hall 430
Office Phone
(309) 438-3849office
phone
Email
raweish@ilstu.eduemail
Website
https://about.illinoisstate.edu/raw... website
  • About
  • Education
  • Awards & Honors
  • Selected Research

Biography

Dr. Ralph A. Weisheit is a Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. He is the author of eight books, including Methamphetamine: Its History, Pharmacology, and Treatment (co-authored with William L. White), and Domestic Marijuana: A Neglected Industry. In addition to his research on illicit drugs, Dr. Weisheit has conducted extensive research on rural crime and rural justice. He has published more than 40 journal articles, and numerous book chapters and solicited essays.

Current Courses

CJS 216.001 Criminal Justice Ethics

CJS 299.004 Independent Honor Study

CJS 499.002 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis

CJS 287.010 Independent Study

CJS 400.002 Independent Study

CJS 102.002 Individuals, Society, And Justice

CJS 291.012 Undergraduate Teaching Experience In Criminal Justice Sciences

Teaching Interests & Areas

I very much enjoy teaching our freshman-level course on general justice because it covers a wide-ranging area beyond traditional criminal justice. It includes such topics as contemporary slavery, contemporary genocide, the use of child soldiers, and the link between justice and the environment -- to name only a few. I also very much enjoy teaching an upper-level course on alcohol, drugs and crime.

Research Interests & Areas

I have conducted research in a number of areas, however, there are two primary areas of research interest:
(1) the link between substance abuse and crime
(2) rural crime and justice.

Ph D Sociology

Washington State University
Pullman, Washington

MA Criminology

Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

BA Forensic Studies

Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

Distinguished Professor

Illinois State University
1998

Academy Fellow

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
1994

Outstanding University Researcher

Illinois State University
1989

Outstanding College Researcher

CAST
1987

Research Initiative Award

Illinois State University
1987

Grants and Contracts

Methamphetamine, opioids & fentanyl in rural Illinois: An ethnographic exploration of current and emerging issues
Joshua Stout, Kate Sheridan, Theresa Adelman- Mullally, Frank Dwight Beck, Cherrill Stockmann, Anjelica Dominguez, Ralph Weisheit, Christopher Brewer, Kim.
Illinois State University. 2025 - 2026
Methamphetamine, Opioids & Fentanyl in rural Illinois: An ethnographic exploration of current and emerging issues.
Theresa Adelman- Mullally, Kate Sheridan, Ralph Weisheit, Christopher Brewer, Cherrill Stockmann, Frank Dwight Beck, Doris Houston, Joshua Stout.
Advancing Research and Creative Scholarship. August 2023
Federal Methamphetamine Initiative
Ralph Weisheit.
Commuity Oriented Policing Program. January 1 2009 - December 31 2013

Book Review

Review of "The Methamphetamine Industry in America."
Ralph Weisheit.
(2015), Criminal Law and Justice Books
Meth Mania: A History of Methamphetamine
Ralph Weisheit.
(2014), 39, 340-342, Criminal Justice Review
Locating Crime in Context and Place: Perspectives on Regional, Rural and Remote Australia
Ralph A Weisheit.
Rural Society/Taylor & Francis

Book, Authored

Pursuing Justice: Traditional and Contemporary Issues in Our Communities and the World
Ralph Weisheit, Frank Morn.
(2014), 248, Anderson Publishing

Book, Chapter

The challenges of policing alcohol and drug-related crime.
Ralph Weisheit, William Lally.
(2020), Rural crime prevention: Theory, tactics, techniques., Routledge
Meth (Mis)Understandings
Ralph A Weisheit, Rashi Shukla.
(2017), Handbook of Deviance, Routledge
Rural and Agricultural Crime
Elaine Barcaly, Ralph Weisheit, Joseph Donnermeyer.
(2015), 1-15, The Oxford Handbook in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Oxford University Press
Individual Strategies for Achieving Justice
Ralph Weisheit, Frank Morn.
(2014), 293-312, Readings in Social Justice, 2nd Edition, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
Researching Drug Crime Using Qualitative Methods
Ralph Weisheit.
(2014), 191-203, Handbook of Qualitative Criminology, Routledge
Crime in Rural and Agricultural Areas
Elaine Barclay, Ralph Weisheit, Joseph Donnermeyer.
The Oxford Handbook on Criminology and Criminal Justice, Oxford University Press
Methamphetamine
Ralph Weisheit.
The Wiley Handbook on Drugs and Society, John Wiley & Sons

Presentations

Methamphetamine, Opioids & Fentanyl in rural Illinois: An ethnographic exploration of current and emerging issues.
Theresa Adelman- Mullally, Kate Sheridan, Ralph Weisheit, Frank Dwight Beck, Christopher Brewer, Cherrill Stockmann, Marta Carbajal Dominguez, Cj Hamilton.
University Research Symposium, Normal IL, April, 2024
Female White Supremacists and the Internet as a Recruitment Tool
Tracy Wehrle, Dawn Beichner, Ralph Weisheit.
Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Seattle, WA, March, 2007
Treating Adolescent Methamphetamine Users: An Innovative and Intensive Program.
Ralph Weisheit.
Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, New York, NY
Explaining Crime in Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Communities.
Ralph Weisheit, Lloyd Edward Wells.
Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL