Dr. Talia Harmon Publishes Article in Criminal Justice Review

Dr. Talia Harmon, chair and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Niagara University, recently published an article in Criminal Justice Review. The article, "When the Death Count Gets Higher: The Failure of Federal Courts of Appeals to Enforce Atkins v. Virginia," was co-authored by Niagara University alumni Maren Geiger, '22, M.S.'24; and Stacy Bielec, '22; current graduate student Lea Roitberg, '25; and Michael L. Perlin, professor of law emeritus at New York Law School.

In the article, Dr. Harmon and her colleagues assess the impact of Atkins v. Virginia, a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision-which held that subjecting persons with intellectual disabilities to the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment-on like cases. Using data collected on subsequent substantive Atkins claims made in all federal circuit courts post-Atkins through 2023, they identify significant variables that predicted case outcomes in these cases. They found that there were very few successful Atkins claims in the circuit courts, suggesting that the Atkins decision has had little impact for those with intellectual disability currently incarcerated on death rows.

Dr. Harmon joined the faculty at Niagara University in 1999. She has been studying capital punishment for more than 25 years and published 29 journal articles in this area. One of her most recent research areas has been on mental health issues and exemptions from capital punishment.

Dr. Harmon earned her bachelor's degree in political science and her master's and Ph.D. in criminal justice at the State University of New York at Albany.