Christopher Weagle

Dr. Christopher Weagle began his career in criminal justice at the Justice Resource Institute, a private contractor for the Department of Youth Services. There, he was responsible for the safety and security of residents at The Butler Center, Massachusetts’ most intensive treatment and detention facility for male youth offenders. He believes that society often misallocates resources, spending a significant portion of the correctional budget on adult offenders, while youth present a greater opportunity for rehabilitation and better management of criminogenic behavior.

In September 2006, Dr. Weagle joined the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) as a Correction Officer at MCI-Cedar Junction. He has since worked across all levels of security: maximum, medium, and minimum. Currently, he serves as the Captain of the Special Operations Division. His responsibilities include supervising the DOC’s K-9 Unit, Outer Perimeter Patrol Unit, tactical operations, armory operations, body-worn camera initiative, radio communications and specialized training. He also serves as the DOC’s Subject Matter Expert for Use of Force and the Commander of the DOC’s Crisis Negotiation Team. Throughout his career, he has interacted with offenders across a wide range of criminal offenses.

Dr. Weagle holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester State University (2007), a Master of Science from Boston University (2009), and a Ph.D. in Criminology & Justice Studies from UMass Lowell (2019). His research interests focus on the juvenile justice system, use of force, corrections, and issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental health, and substance abuse among criminal justice practitioners.