I research the politics of American criminalization. Broadly speaking, my research investigates the political ramifications of policing and incarceration for criminalized populations as well as the political dynamics driving the world-historically unique U.S. punishment paradigm. Accordingly, my research develops theory across several subfields, including the sociology of punishment, political sociology, and the sociology of organizations and professions. I also utilize a broad range of methods and data sources: causal inference using administrative data, descriptive analysis of survey data, and abductive analysis of sequential in-depth interviews.

Dissertation

Drawing on in-depth interviews, my dissertation examines how crime journalists in local print newsrooms discover events, build relationships with sources, and make decisions about newsworthiness. The first paper from my dissertation focuses on the influence of Black Lives Matter and related social movements on news workers’ motivations and practices. I find that for the most part, crime reporters no longer work inside criminal justice organizations, which allowed for the emergence of a more skeptical and historically informed orientation towards crime reporting. These comparatively more critical news workers develop adversarial sources within law enforcement, amplify voices in other organizations, and engage in contextual reporting.

Refereed Articles

Police Violence Reduces Trust in the Police Among Black Residents. PLoS ONE, 2024 (with Gerard Torrats-Espinosa).

Ticketing and Turnout: The Participatory Consequences of Low-Level Police Contact. American Political Science Review, 2022 (with Kevin Morris).

Working Papers

“Solitary Confinement, Parole, and Criminalization.” Revise and resubmit (with Sam Donahue, Jessica Simes, and Bruce Western).

“The End of Police Stenography? Critical Crime News Work After Black Lives Matter.” Under review. 

“Strategic Retreat or Mobilization? Racialized Political Behavior in U.S. Jails and Prisons.” (with David Knight)

“Militarized Policing and Trust.” (with Gerard Torrats-Espinosa)

Funding

My research is supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.