08/17/2026
By Karen Mullins
The School of Criminology and Justice Studies is proud to announce a dissertation proposal defense by Thomas J. Meal titled "Live Free and Crypto? Analyzing Public Opinion on Cryptocurrencies and Cryptocurrency Regulations in New Hampshire."
- Date: Monday, Aug. 31, 2026
- Time: 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Location: Room 431, HSSB
- Remote attendance:Join the Zoom meeting
Committee
- Dr. Kelly Socia (chair), Professor, Criminology & Justice Studies, UML
- Dr. Claire Lee, Associate Professor, Criminology & Justice Studies, UML
- Dr. Amber Ruf, Associate Professor, Criminology & Justice Studies, UML
- Dr. Christopher Galdieri, Professor, Department of Politics, St. Anselm
Abstract
Since their emergence in 2008, cryptocurrencies have become a source of financial investment, much like the early years of the stock market. Over time, cryptocurrencies and digital currencies have become a breeding ground for fraudulent schemes and scammers looking to take advantage of naive investors. Criminological studies of cryptocurrencies have centered on the prevalence of schemes and scams, but little attention has been given to potential regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency market. The lack of regulation in this market has led to questions about which methods of regulation will best reduce scammers and fraudsters. The proposed study takes a mixed-methods approach through a public opinion survey and semi-structured interviews with lawmakers, policy influencers and stakeholders in cryptocurrency policy to better understand perceptions of this emerging market and, through a situational crime prevention lens, whether and how this market can be regulated at the state level. This research contributes to the emerging body of crypto-criminology research by going beyond the current state of research on scams and laying the foundation for how perceptions influence potential regulations and criminal punishments for cryptocurrency scammers and fraudsters.