Dr. Tomkins received a B. A. degree from Boston University (1975) with a joint major in Psychology and Philosophy. He earned a J. D. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 1984. He joined the faculty of the Law/Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1986. Prior to coming to UNL, Dr. Tomkins was a Research Associate at the Federal Judicial Center, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Research Assistant Professor at St. Louis University. He also has served as a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Southampton (England) and as a Visiting Scholar of Psychology at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea).
His policy research interests include mental health policy, community health and human services, the use of information for decision making, and stakeholder input into the policy process. Dr. Tomkins has over 80 publications, ranging from policy reports to peer-reviewed journal articles, law review articles, book chapters, edited works, newsletter columns, etc. He is currently editing a book entitled, "The Faith Based Initiative and Mental Health: Challenges and Opportunities for Effectively Integrating Faith-Based and Community-Based Resources in the Behavioral Health System." Dr. Tomkins served as co-Editor and then Editor of the interdisciplinary journal, Behavioral Sciences & the Law from 1989-2001, served on the editorial board for Law & Human Behavior since 1991 and on Expert Evidence: The International Digest of Human Behaviour Science and Law from 1998-2001, and he has twice has served as Action Editor for the American Psychologist. He is a Fellow of the American-Psychology Law Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association.
2014
The Verdict Is In: Judge and Administrator Perceptions of State Court Governance, Christopher D. Kimbrough, Mitchel Herian, David B. Rottman, Brian H. Bornstein, and Alan Tomkins
2013
Reducing Courts’ Failure-to-Appear Rate by Written Reminders, Brian H. Bornstein, Alan Tomkins, Elizabeth Neeley, Mitchel Herian, and Joseph A. Hamm
2012
Reducing Courts’ Failure-to-Appear Rate by Written Reminders, Brian H. Bornstein, Alan J. Tomkins, Elizabeth M. Neeley, Mitchel N. Herian, and Joseph A. Hamm
2011
Faith-Based Organizations in a System of Behavioral Health Care, Mark DeKraai, Denise Bulling, Nancy C. Shank, and Alan J. Tomkins
Public Engagement for Informing Science and Technology Policy: What Do We Know, What Do We Need to Know, and How Will We Get There?, Lisa M. Pytlik Zillig and Alan Tomkins
Public Engagement for Informing Science and Technology Policy: What Do We Know, What Do We Need to Know, and How Will We Get There?, Lisa M. Pytlik Zillig and Alan J. Tomkins
2008
Constructs of Justice: Beyond Civil Litigation, Alan Tomkins and Kimberly Applequist
2007
Evaluating Court Processes for Determining Indigency, Elizabeth Neeley and Alan J. Tomkins
2005
Clinical Decision-Making about Psychopathy and Violence Risk Assessment in Public Sector Mental Health Settings, Eric B. Elbogen, Matthew T. Huss, Alan Tomkins, and Mario J. Scalora
United Way and University partnerships in community-wide human services planning and plan implementation: The case of Lincoln/Lancaster County, Nebraska., Alan Tomkins, Nancy C. Shank, Darcy Tromanhauser, Sandy Rupp, and Robin Mahoney
Community Life and Housing in Rural Nebraska: 2005 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, and Alan Tomkins
Rural Nebraska: Looking Back at a Decade of Change and Progress: 2005 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, and Alan Tomkins
Rural Nebraskans’ Support for Alternative Energy Sources: 2005 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, and Alan Tomkins
Well-Being in Rural Nebraska: 2005 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, and Alan Tomkins
2003
Preliminary Evaluation of the Lancaster County Indigency Screener Project, Alan Tomkins and Elizabeth Neeley
2002
Farewell from the Editor of BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AND THE LAW, Alan Tomkins
International Perspectives on Restorative and Community Justice, Alan Tomkins and Mark A. Small
2001
Introduction to Public Trust and Confidence in the Courts, David B. Rottman and Alan Tomkins
2000
From the Psychiatric Hospital to the Community: Integrating Conditional Release and Contingency Management, Eric B. Elbogen and Alan Tomkins
Introduction to "Current Directions": Behavioral Sciences and the Law 2000, Alan Tomkins
Introduction to International Perspectives on Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Part II, Alan Tomkins and David Carson
1999
Public Trust and Confidence in the Courts: What Public Opinion Surveys Mean to Judges, David B. Rottman and Alan Tomkins
Introduction to International Perspectives on Therapeutic Jurisprudence, Alan Tomkins and David Carson
Final Report: Nebraska Child Support Collection and Disbursement System Implementation Project, Alan Tomkins and Nancy C. Shank
1998
Introduction to Families and the Courts: Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Alan Tomkins and Pamela M. Casey
1997
The Need for and the Role of Comparative and Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Behavioral-Science-and-Law Scholarship, David Carson and Alan Tomkins
Introduction to special issue: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES (Behavioral Sciences and the Law), Alan Tomkins and David Carson
1996
EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW/CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Historical Foundations, Present Structures, and Future Developments, James R. P. Ogloff, Alan Tomkins, and Donald N. Bersoff
Introduction to "Persons with Disabilities": Special Issue of Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Alan Tomkins