Education
- Ph.D., Justice Studies, Arizona State University (2005)
- M.A., Women’s Studies, University of Cincinnati (1999)
- B.A., University of Minnesota-Morris (1994)
Areas of Focus
- Gender, crime and justice
- Restorative justice
- Environmental justice, animals, and society
Restorative justice aims to bring something good out of something bad. Instead of leaving all decisions up to justice professionals, restorative justice offers dialogue opportunities for people who do harm and people who have experienced harm. I direct UMD’s Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking, which provides restorative training and helps programs strengthen and evaluate what they do. My current research examines restorative justice and intimate partner violence.
Gender and justice is a lifelong passion of mine. One of my first jobs after college was working with girls in the justice system. They inspired me to find ways to give voice to their experiences and challenge social policies that punish girls’ and women’s responses to victimization. I have published research about girls sentenced to adult prison, attitudes about girls in the system, gender-responsive and restorative programming, and intimate partner violence.
Environmental sociology/criminology: My 2011 book, Women and the Animal Rights Movement, explored the political paths of women activists and the politics of gender in the animal rights movement. I have also explored how corporations and governments use existing race, gender, and class inequalities to avoid accountability for environmental harm.
Courses Taught
Criminology
- Restorative Justice
- Women and Justice
- Racial Inequality and Criminalization
- Victimology
- Criminological Theory
- Corporate and Government Crime
Sociology
- Environmental Sociology
- Sociology of Gender
- Sociology of Happiness
- Peace Studies
Women’s Studies
- Feminist Activism and Community Organizing