Ongoing Research

Equity and disparities in the administration of justice

One line of my research examines personal and neighborhood factors that place urban residents at risk of unwanted police contact. Much of this work is based on the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, an ongoing national survey. My work has identified racial disparities in the prevalence and nature of youth-police contact, and currently explores inequities tied to other dimensions of social identity (e.g., sexual orientation, disability).

Social consequences of police contact.

A second line of my work examines the social consequences of police contact, with attention to health, legal socialization, and civic engagement. I argue that the experience of aggressive police stops among children and adolescents should be considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and that public health and educational support resources developed for other ACEs could improve the wellbeing of youth stopped by police.