RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
Our department has nationally and internationally recognized scholars whose research addresses critical questions about society and the criminal justice system and has significant academic and policy impacts.
FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP
Meredith Bergey, PhD, published the article "'Pills Don’t Teach Skills': ADHD Coaching, Identity Work, and the Push toward the Liminal Medicalization of ADHD" in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Lance Hannon, PhD, along with current students Lindsay Redditt '24 CLAS and Brooke Cordes '24 CLAS, published the article “Curbing Pretextual Traffic Stops to Reduce Racial Profiling” in Agenda for Social Justice 3 Solutions for 2024 published by the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Jill McCorkel, PhD, will be featured on the panel “The Difference Gender Makes: Understanding the Complexities of Women's Wrongful Conviction Cases” with India and Morkea Spellman at the Innocence Network Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 23, 2024.
Dr. McCorkel, along with current students Paisley Hahn '24 CLAS and Isabella Balian '25 CLAS, will also have an article “Parenting from Prison” published in the upcoming issue of Graterfriends, the newspaper for people incarcerated in Pennsylvania published by the Pennsylvania Prison Society.
Max Osborn, PhD, published the article "‘Something Could Happen to You at Any Moment’: Safety, Strategy, and Solidarity Among Trans and Nonbinary Protesters Against Police Violence" in Critical Criminology.
Allison Ann Payne, PhD, published the chapter “Reducing School Crime and Student Misbehavior: An Evidence-Based Analysis" in The Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Crime and Justice Policy (2023) edited by Brandon Welsh, PhD, Steven Zane, PhD, and Daniel Mears, PhD.
Tom Arvanites, PhD, is investigating the effect of residential segregation on the incarceration rate of African Americans for drug offenses.
Meredith Bergey, PhD, is working on a paper with Thomas Mackie, PhD, Giuseppina Chiri, PhD, and Nikki Freeman, PhD, that examines intersecting social identities and health inequalities.
Glenn Bracey’s, PhD, scholarship examines the intersection of race, social movements, and religion. Drawing on research conducted through the Race, Religion, and Justice Project (rrjp.org), Bracey’s current work explores whiteness as a religion and the implications of the religion of whiteness for Christians of color.
Rick Eckstein, PhD, is currently exploring the social class bias in non-revenue intercollegiate sports. He recently appeared on the September episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (S29 E9) where he discusses special admissions for college athletes.
Heidi Grundetjern, PhD, is currently conducting research focused on women's drug use utilizing a trauma-informed psychosocial perspective.
Lance Hannon, PhD, is currently working on a variety of sociological and criminological research projects utilizing digital text analysis tools.
Melissa Hodges, PhD, is currently working on a project that examines the relationship between the structural arrangements of care systems and variation in the distribution of economic inequality across gender, race, and class cross-nationally.
Brian J. Jones, PhD, is writing a book for Palgrave Macmillan entitled The Pursuit of Happiness in America.
Rory Kramer, PhD, is finishing work on a book manuscript about diversity within the Black student body at selective colleges and universities with colleagues at Penn and Princeton. He is also working on a related paper on the impact of racial disparities in exposure to stressful events on college completion rates.
Jill MCCorkel, PhD, writing a book manuscript about gender and mass incarceration that examines the long term incarceration of women who are survivors of gender violence. She is also collaborating with the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office on a grant to explore the relationship between prosecutorial charging decisions and increases in women's incarceration rates. In 2022, Dr. McCorkel received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of Corrections and Sentencing for the contributions of her non-profit organization, The Philadelphia Justice Project for Women & Girls. In 2023, Dr. McCorkel served as the co-chair of the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology.
Max Osborn, PhD, is examining how LGBTQIA+ people navigate risk, safety, and gender presentation during encounters with institutional actors such as police and service providers. He is also studying representations of transgender victims of violence in the news media.
Allison Ann Payne, PhD, is collaborating with our department’s research associate, Denise Wilson, on a multilevel study examining the influence of school-related risk and protective factors on traditional and cyberbullying.
Brianna Remster, PhD, and Melissa Hodges, PhD, are investigating the incarceration-wage penalty for women compared to men.
Ken Sun, PhD, is currently working on two manuscripts, including a single-authored book on aging and migration, and the other on transnational social protection (with Professors Peggy Levitt, Erica Dobb, and Ruxandra Paul).
Kelly Welch, PhD, is co-authoring a school-to-prison pipeline study examining how the disparate exposure of youth of color to exclusionary school discipline contributes to racial and ethnic disparities in criminal justice system involvement.
Levitt, Peggy, Erica Dobbs, Ken Chih-Yan Sun, and Ruxandra Paul. (2023). Transnational Social Protection. Oxford University Press.
Charles, Camille Z., Massey, Douglas S., Torres, Kimberly C., & Kramer, Rory. (2022). Young, Gifted and Diverse: Origins of the New Black Elite. Princeton University Press.
Sun, Ken Chih-Yan. (2021). Time and Migration: How Long-Term Taiwanese Migrants Negotiate Later Life. Cornell University Press.
Jones, Brian. (2019). Social Capital in American Life. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bergey, Meredith R., Angela M. Filipe, Peter Conrad, and Ilina Singh (Eds.) (2018). Global Perspectives on ADHD. Social Dimensions of Diagnosis and Treatment in Sixteen Countries. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Bergey, Meredith. (2024). “Pills Don’t Teach Skills”: ADHD Coaching, Identity Work, and the Push toward the Liminal Medicalization of ADHD. Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
Chiri, Giuseppina, Meredith Bergey, and Thomas Mackie. (2022). Deserving but not entitled: the social construction of autism spectrum disorder in federal policy. Social Science and Medicine, 301.
Bergey, Meredith, Giuseppina Chiri, Nikki Freeman, and Thomas I. Mackie. (2022). Mapping Mental Health Inequalities: The Intersecting Effects of Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity on ADHD Diagnosis. Sociology of Health and Illness.
Chiam, Mckenzee, Erick Rojas, Meredith Bergey, and Thomas Mackie. (2021). The Effect of Medical Home on Shared Decision‐Making for Caregivers of Children with Emotional, Developmental, or Behavioral Health Conditions. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 25(8), 1285-1295.
Bracey, Glenn. (2022). The Spirit of Critical Race Theory. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 8(4), 431-570.
Bracey, Glenn and Reverend Renee McKenzie-Hayward. (2022). Resistance in Sacred Spaces. In A. Rodriguez, C. Barry, and A. Armenta (Eds.), The Road to Sanctuary: Insights from the City of Sisterly Affection and Brotherly Love.
Bracey, Glenn. (2021). Beyond Movements: The Ontology of Black Lives Matter. Mobilization: An International Quarterly 26(4), 489-496.
Grundetjern, Heidi. (2022). “A decade of change in the gendered organizational structure of methamphetamine markets in the American Midwest” The British Journal of Criminology.
Grundetjern, Heidi and Alessandra Milagros Early (2022). “The role of sex and compulsory heterosexuality within the rural methamphetamine market” Crime & Delinquency.
Grundetjern, Heidi and Whitney Tchoula. (2021). Nostalgia and rumors in the rural methamphetamine market. American Journal of Cultural Sociology.
Hannon, Lance, Lindsay Redditt, and Brooke Cordes. (2024). Curbing Pretextual Traffic Stops to Reduce Racial Profiling. Agenda for Social Justice 3 Solutions for 2024.
Budig, Michelle J., Misun Lim, and Melissa J. Hodges. (2021). Racial and Gender Pay Disparities: The Role of Education. Social Science Research, 98, 102580.
Kramer, Rory and Brianna Remster. (2022). The slow violence of contemporary policing. Annual Review of Criminology, 5.
McCorkel, Jill, Paisley Hahn, and Isabella Balian. (2024). Parenting from Prison. Graterfriends.
McCorkel, Jill. (2021). The Rise, the Fall, and the Reinvention of Prison Ethnography. In S. Bucerius, K. Haggerty, and L. Berardi (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Ethnographies of Crime and Criminal Justice.
Osborn, Max. (2023). “Something Could Happen to You at Any Moment”: Safety, Strategy, and Solidarity Among Trans and Nonbinary Protesters Against Police Violence. Critical Criminology.
DeJong, Christina, Max Osborn, and Harnoor Kaur. (2023). Trans Panic: The Representation of Trans Women as Murder Victims in True Crime Podcasts. In A. E. Goldberg, D. C. Slakoff, and C. L. Buist (Eds.), The (Mis) Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime (pp. 160-182).
Osborn, Max. (2023). Difficult, Deceptive, and Dangerous: Portrayals of Victimized Transgender Men in Crime News Coverage. In A. E. Goldberg, D. C. Slakoff, and C. L. Buist (Eds.), The (Mis) Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime (pp. 183-201).
Osborn, Max (2022). LGBTQIA+ people’s service access during the COVID-19 pandemic: Obstacles to care and provider adaptations. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services.
Osborn, Max (2022). U.S. news coverage of transgender victims of fatal violence: An exploratory content analysis. Violence Against Women, 28(9), 2033-2056.
Osborn, Max (2022). “Nobody ever correctly recognizes me”: Nonbinary presentation, visibility, and safety across contexts. In V. Demos and M. T. Segal (Eds.), Advances in Gender Research: Gender Visibility & Erasure, 33, 51-69.
Payne, Allison Ann (2024). Reducing School Crime and Student Misbehavior: An Evidence-Based Analysis. In B. Welsh, S. Zane, and D. Mears (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Crime and Justice Policy.
Payne, Allison Ann, and Kelly Welch. (2023). Minority Threat in Schools and Differential Security Manifestations: Examining Unequal Control, Surveillance, and Protection. Crime & Delinquency.
Payne, Allison Ann and Kelly Welch (2022). Transforming School Climate and Student Discipline: The Restorative Justice Promise for Peace. In G. Velez and T. Gavrielides (Eds.), Restorative Justice: Promoting Peace and Wellbeing.
Wilson, Denise, Kirsten L. Witherup and Allison Ann Payne. (2022). Prevention and Intervention Programs for Bullying Perpetration and Victimization. In C. Donoghue (Ed.), The Sociology of Bullying.
Payne, Allison Ann and Denise Wilson. (2021). The Importance of a Positive School Climate in Addressing Youth Retaliation. In H. Recchia and C. Wainryb (Eds.), Revenge across Childhood and Adolescence.
Remster, Brianna, Chris M. Smith, and Rory Kramer. (2022). “Race, Gender, and Police Violence in the Shadow of Controlling Images.” Social Problems.
Remster, Brianna. (2021). Homelessness among Formerly Incarcerated Men: Patterns and Predictors. ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 693, 141-157.
Warner, Cody and Brianna Remster. (2021). Criminal Justice Contact, Residential Independence, and Returns to the Parental Home. Journal of Marriage and Family, 83, 322-339.
Sun, Ken Chih-Yan and Baiyu Su. (2023). “Who Should Care for Our Parents?” How the Perceived Achievement Hierarchy Complicates Transnational Family Relations in China? International Migration Review.
Sun, Ken Chih-Yan and Nicole Newendorp. (2023). How Age and Life Stage of Relocation Fosters Social Belonging: Comparing Two Groups of Older Migrants in the United States. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B.
Sun, Ken Chih-Yan and Nazli Kibria. (2021). The Micro-politics of Recognition and Care: How Adult Children in Urban China Negotiate Relationships with Emigrant Siblings. Social Problems.
Welch, Kelly, Peter S. Lehmann, Cecilia Chouhy and Ted Chiricos. (2022). Cumulative racial and ethnic disparaties along the school-to-prison pipeline. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Cory Goldstein '25 CLAS, Kate Malnak '25 CLAS, Ella Doda '25 CLAS, and Akintade Asalu '25 CLAS
Twenty-five Sociology and Criminology majors and minors attended the American Society of Criminology annual conference held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November 2023. Criminology major Cory Goldstein '25 CLAS reflects on his experience attending the ASC Conference.
The 78th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) took place in Philadelphia, PA this past November, offering an opportunity for Villanova sociology and criminology majors and minors to attend panel discussions and research presentations on topics of their interest. As a junior, double majoring in criminology and statistics, I had the privilege of witnessing some of the field’s leading academics and researchers discuss their recent findings, theories, and hypotheses.
Fortunately, the Villanova Department of Sociology and Criminology funded student attendance at the conference, ensuring that no barriers hindered our access to this invaluable educational opportunity. During the four-day conference, I attended several presentations covering a range of topics, from residential segregation and police killings to gender issues in prosecutorial discretion, the effects of adverse childhood experiences on school shootings, and the analysis and innovation of white supremacist humor. Each presentation included a discussion of the research, relevant theory application, overarching themes, and a Q & A session. Engaging with leading academics and researchers, discussing their findings, and posing questions was an enriching experience that fully immersed us in the world of research, offering limitless opportunities to learn and explore.
Initially, I contemplated the idea of attending law school after graduation, however, my passion for academia, research, and crime data analysis has led me to pursue PhD programs. As I embark on the PhD program application process, I find myself reflecting on the experiences I gained at ASC. Witnessing some of the world's foremost academic minds compile years of data, conduct research, formulate hypotheses, and develop new theories has been both inspiring and motivating.
As I commence my second semester as a junior at Villanova, I grapple with a sense of uncertainty about the future, yet I also find solace in the experiences gained at ASC. It provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the world of research and immerse myself fully, if only for a brief period. Hopefully, this serves as the initial step in what promises to be a long and fulfilling journey in my research career.
Paisley Hahn '24 CLAS, mentored by Allison Ann Payne, PhD, published the article "Measuring Juvenile Justice Outcomes for Restorative Justice Diversion Programs" in Veritas: Villanova Research Journal.