Office

E21-3003

Office Hours

15:00-16:00 Thursday & 10:00-11:00 Friday and by appointment

Tel

(+853) 8822 8836

E-mail

spencerli@um.edu.mo
Professor
Master Programme Coordinator in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Biography

Spencer De Li is a Professor at University of Macau. Before joining University of Macau, Prof. Li taught in two of the top criminology and criminal justice programs at University of Maryland and Florida State University in the United States. Intellectual curiosity and multicultural life experiences have led Prof. Li to focus on three distinct but interrelated topics in teaching and research. One is family processes and child development. He is perpetually fascinated by so many ways by which children grow and mature and is keenly interested in finding out how parenting practices and family relationships help shape the pathways. Another is criminal psychology, exploring how psychological traits interact with environmental factors to influence delinquent and criminal behavior. Lastly, he has also devoted considerable time to the study of substance abuse, examining the extent, trends and causes of substance abuse, and effective ways of preventing and treating the addictive behavior. Prof. Li has published three monographs and many articles in leading sociological, criminological, psychological, and multidisciplinary journals. His research has achieved far-reaching international impact as evidenced by high Google Scholar Citations (5590 and counting). Prof. Li plays a major role in several academic associations/organizations including president of Asian Association for Substance Abuse Research, president of Chinese Society for Research in Child Development, associate editor of Journal of Drug Issues, and editorial board member of Victims and Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice.

Academic Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Sociology with specialization in Law and Crime, Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), USA, 1996.
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland at College Park, USA, 1998-2001.

Research Interests

  • Child Development
  • Substance Abuse
  • Corrections
  • Criminal Psychology
  • Religion
  • Mixed Methods Research

  • Spring 2022:
    SOCY-7715 Criminal Psychology
    SOCY-8805 Theoretical and Practical Issues in Sociological and Criminological Research
  • Fall 2021:
    SOCY-2011 Sociology of Addictive Behavior
    CCJS-700 Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Spring 2021:
    SOCY-7712 Substance Abuse and Addiction
    SOCY-8805 Theoretical and Practical Issues in Sociological and Criminological Research
  • Fall 2020:
    SOCY-2011 Sociology of Addictive Behavior
  • Spring 2019:
    GESB-1011 Courtship, Marriage and Family
    SOCY-7715 Criminal Psychology
  • Fall 2017:
    CCJS-700 Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Spring 2017:
    SOCY-803 Paper/ Thesis Writing and Publication
  • Spring 2016:
    SOCY-805 Selected Topics in Advanced Sociological Research
    SOCB-353 Internship
  • Fall 2015:
    CCJS-707 Drugs and Crime
  • Fall 2014:
    CCJS-700 Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Spring 2014:
    CCJS-707 Drugs and Crime
    GRSC-802 Research Writing
  • Fall 2013:
    CCJS-700 Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Spring 2013:
    PhD Seminar Research Designs and Methods in Social Sciences
    PhD Seminar Research Ethics
    PhD Seminar Research Writing
  • Fall 2012:
    MSCR-104 Integrated Seminar
  • Spring 2012:
    PhD Seminar Practice of Scholarship in Social Sciences: Research Designs and Methods
  • Fall 2011:
    MSCR-104 Criminology and Criminal Justice
    MSCR-123 Drugs and Crime

  • 2022, Second Place Book Award, Sixth Research Achievement Awards in Humanities and Social Sciences in Macau, Macau Foundation
  • 2022, Second Prize Paper Award, National Conference on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, Beijing
  • 2022, Second Prize Paper Award, Second International Forum on Drug Policy, China Narcotics Control Foundation
  • 2022, Third Prize Paper Award, Second International Forum on Drug Policy, China Narcotics Control Foundation
  • 2022, Incentive Scheme for Outstanding Academic Staff Award, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, 2021/2022
  • 2018, Outstanding Services Award, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau
  • 2017, Renowned Antidrug Network Teacher, Research & Support Center for Narcotics Control and AIDS prevention, Yunnan University, China
  • 2017, Outstanding Academic Staff, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau
  • 2016-Present, President, Chinese Society for Research in Child Development
  • 2016-2022, Member of the Narcotics Control Committee, Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
  • 2013-Present, President, Asian Association for Substance Abuse Research
  • 2005-Present, Associate Editor, Journal of Drug Issues
  • 2012-Present, Editorial Board Member, Victims and Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice
  • 2006-Present, Non-resident Fellow, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, USA.
  • 2013-Present, Affiliated Member, Global Centre for Evidence-based Corrections and Sentencing, Griffith University, Australia
  • 2012-2014, President of the Executive Council, Macau Sociological Association
  • 2010, Special Project Award, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

  • 2020-2022, Principal Investigator, Macao Social Survey, 2nd Wave, funded by University of Macau.
  • 2019-2021, Principal Investigator, Drug Abuse Trends, Drug Treatment Service Needs and Development Plans in Macao.
  • 2018, Principal Investigator, Tracking Study of Students and Drugs in Macao 2018, funded by Social Welfare Bureau, Special Administrative Region of Macao, China.
  • 2018 – 2020, Principal Investigator, A Multicity Study of Adolescent Substance Abuse in Greater China Region, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau.
  • 2017 – 2019, Principal Investigator, A Tracking Study of Drug Users in Compulsory Isolated and Community-based Drug Treatment in China, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau.
  • 2015 – 2018, Principal Investigator, Macao Social Survey 2015-2017, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau.
  • 2014 – 2017, Principal Investigator, Family and Delinquency among Children of Migrant Workers in China: A Mixed Methods and Multidisciplinary Study, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau.
  • 2014 – 2015, Principal Investigator, Tracking Study of Students and Drugs in Macao 2014, funded by Social Welfare Bureau, Special Administrative Region of Macao, China.
  • 2014 – 2016, Principal Investigator, The Social Context of Racial/Ethnic Identity, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau
  • 2011 – 2013, Principal Investigator, A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of Family Processes and Juvenile Delinquency in China, funded by Research and Development Administration Office, University of Macau.
  • 2007 – 2009, Principal Investigator, Head Start Services, Parents’ Social Capital, and Parent Involvement, funded by Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services, U.S.A.
  • 2005 – 2007, Principal Investigator, Religious Context of Parenting & Youth Drinking Behavior, funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services, U.S.A.

  1. Wu, K., & Li, S.D.* (2023). Coercive parenting and juvenile delinquency in China: Assessing gender differences in the moderating effect of empathic concern. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-023-01742-5. (*Corresponding author)
  2. Li, S.D., Liu, T., & Xia, Y. (2022). A comparative study of parenting practices and juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Deviant Behavior. DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2022.2081102.
  3. Liu, T., & Li, S.D.* (2022). From family to peer systems: Mixed-methods study of spillover mechanisms on juvenile delinquency in China. Crime & Delinquency. DOI: 10.1177/00111287221090957. (*Corresponding author)
  4. Li, S.D., Xiong, R., Liang, M., Zhang, X., & Tang, W. (2021). Pathways from family violence to adolescent violence: Examining the mediating mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.611006.
  5. Xiong, R., Xia, Y., & Li, S.D.* (2021). Perceived discrimination and aggression among Chinese migrant adolescents: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621270 (*Corresponding author)
  6. Li, S.D., & Liu, T. (2020). Correctional system’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and its implications for prison reform in China. Victims & Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice. DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2020.1824159.
  7. Li, S.D., Zhao, R., & Zhang, H. (2020). Examining the link between drug use disorders and crime among Chinese drug users receiving mandatory detoxification and treatment. Crime and Delinquency. DOI: 10.1177/0011128720939511.
  8. Li, D., Wang, H., Cai, T., & Kuo, S. (Eds.) (2020). Macao Social Survey. Taipei: Wu-Nan Book Inc. (李德、王紅宇、蔡天驥、郭世雅主編，2020。《澳門社會現狀調查》，五南圖書出版股份有限公司).
  9. Liu, T., Li, S.D.*, Xia, Y., & Zhang, X. (2020). The spillover mechanisms linking family conflicts and juvenile delinquency among Chinese adolescents. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 64(2-3), 167-186. (*Corresponding author)
  10. Li, S.D. & Liu, T. (2019). Problem-solving courts in China: Background, development and current status. Victims & Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice. DOI: 10.1080/15564886.2019.1595246.
  11. Li, S.D. et al. (2018). Parenting Style and Adolescent Development in China. Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press. (李德 等，2018。《当代中国家庭教养方式与青少年发展》，社会科学文献出版社).
  12. Li, S.D. & Xia, Y.W. (2018). Understanding the link between discrimination and juvenile delinquency among Chinese migrant children. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. DOI: 10.1177/1043986218761959
  13. Li, S.D., Zhang, X., Tang, W., & Xia, Y. (2017). Predictors and implications of synthetic drug use among adolescents in the gambling capital of China. Sage Open. DOI: 10.1177/2158244017733031
  14. Kerley, K.R., Copes, H., Li, S.D., Lane, J., & Sharp, S. (Eds.) (2017). Encyclopedia of Corrections, Volumes I & II. New York: Wiley.
  15. Li, S.D. & Liu, J. (2017). Network characteristics and organizational structure of Chinese drug trafficking groups. Asian Journal of Criminology. 12(1), 63-79.
  16. Densley, J., Hilal, S., Li, S.D., & Tang, W. (2016). Homicide-suicide in China: An exploratory study of characteristics and types. Asian Journal of Criminology, 12(3), 199-216.
  17. Li, S. (2014). Familial religiosity, family processes, and juvenile delinquency in a national sample of early adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 34(4), 436-462.
  18. Hilal, S., Densley, J., Li, S., & Ma, Y. (2014). The routine of mass murders in China. Homicide Studies, 18(1), 83-104.
  19. Li, S. (2014). Toward a cost-effective correctional system: New developments in community-based corrections in China. Victims & Offenders: An International Journal of Evidence-based Research, Policy, and Practice, 9(1), 120-125.
  20. Luo, D., Li, S., & Zhao, G. (2012). Criminal Psychology. Beijing: Beijing Normal University Publishing Group (羅大華、李德、趙桂芬，2012。《犯罪心理學》，北京師範大學出版社).
  21. Li, S. (2011). Testing mediation using multiple regression and structural modeling analyses in secondary data. Evaluation Review, 35, 240-268.
  22. Li, S. (2005). Race, self-control, and drug problems among jail inmates. Journal of Drug Issues, 35, 645-663.
  23. Kleck, G., Server, B., Li, S., and Gertz, M. (2005). The missing link in general deterrence research. Criminology, 43, 623-660.
  24. MacKenzie, D., and Li, S. (2002). The impact of formal and informal control on criminal careers of probationers. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 39, 243-276.
  25. Li, D. (1999). Legal sanctions and youths’ status achievement: A longitudinal study. Justice Quarterly, 16, 377-402.