Dr. Lewis is currently an Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). Prior to joining the faculty at IUP in 2007, Dr. Lewis was a member of the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi for three years. He was a  Faculty Fellow at the John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security and just recently was the Interim Director of the Criminal Justice Training Center, both at IUP. Prior to beginning his academic career, for 23 years, Dr. Lewis worked in law enforcement.

In terms of his education, he earned his PhD and MA degrees in criminology from IUP and his BS in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.

His research interests include legal impact studies, deterrence theory, and juvenile alcohol use. He has published a number of research articles in such journals as the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Police Quarterly, Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and Criminal Justice Studies.