Areas of Research
Girls’ Delinquency and Programming
Gender and Racial Disparities in Justice System Processing
Feminist Criminological Theory, Theories of Race
Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender
Ongoing Projects
The Impact of Contextual Factors on Disparities in Justice System Processing: Although a considerable body of empirical and theoretical research examines disproportionate youth contact with the justice system, little research has been undertaken on the influence of contextual factors and structured social inequalities on disparities in justice system contact. Using a nationally representative longitudinal survey appended with county- and state-specific data, this study identifies the macro-structural environments associated with severity of justice system response to youth.
School Effects on Delinquency: Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 individual-level data merged with census-tract- and school-level data indicating contextual environment, this project examines all three types of variables – individual characteristics and experiences, neighborhood context, and school context – in relation to self-reported delinquency. It considers whether school context affects associations of risk and protective factors with delinquency.
Girls in Trouble with the Ontario Youth Court: Although there is a growing body of research examining court-involved young women in the U.S., this group is still under-researched, especially in Canada. Theories about young women’s pathways to illegal behavior, help-seeking behaviors, and identity construction inform this project’s overall conceptual framework.
