Gila Chen (PhD) is a Senior lecturer in the Department of Criminology at Ashkelon Academic College, Israel. Dr. Chen is a Short-term psychotherapist. Dr. Chen published two books and more than 20 academic manuscripts in various criminological and psychological topics among them: 1. Chen, G. (2006). Social support, spiritual program, and drug addiction. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 50, 306-323. 2. Chen, G. (2010). The meaning of suffering in drug addiction and recovery from the perspective of Buddhism, Existentialism and the 12 steps. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 42, 363-375. 3. Einat, T., & Chen G. (2012). Female inmates' perspectives toward consensual same-sex sexual relationships in prison. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 36, 25-44. 4. Chen, G., Elisha. E., Timor, U., & Ronel, N. (2013) Parents' Perceptions of Their Adolescent Sons' Recovery in a Therapeutic Community for Addicted Clients. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative, 57, 1417 -1436. 5. Chen G., & Einat, T. (2014).The relationship between criminology studies and punitive attitudes. European Journal of Criminology, 12(2), 169-187. 6. Chen, G., & Gueta, K. (2015). Child abuse, drug addiction and mental health problems of incarcerated women in Israel. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 39, 36-45. 7. Chen, G., & Gueta, K. (2015). Childhood abuse and mental health problems: Does gender matter? Psychiatric Quarterly, 87(1), 189-202. 8. Gueta, K., & Chen, G. (2016). Men and women inmates’ accounts of their pathways to crime: A gender analysis. Deviant Behavior, 37(12), 1459-1472. 9. Chen, G. (2016). Punitive attitudes and casual attribution of crime among Israeli Police Officers: Is There a Gender Gap? Psychology, Crime & Law. 22(8), 758-776.

major areas of research are drug addiction and treatment, women and men offenders, child abuse and neglect, and gender differences in crime, substance abuse, and childhood trauma