projects
Why and how civil society organizations, public opinion, and political institutions bear on social welfare, criminal sanctions policymaking and policing, along with how they influence political behavior by racialized minorities and marginalized communities, are central matters of my current projects. (But I look to a day when the topics of my projects aren’t as heavy.)
abolition of punitive policy designs
I’m writing a book, Prisoners of Democracy: Dignity, Organizing, and the Abolition of Carceral Citizenship. It focuses on political participation by “returning citizens” (and their allies) to remove barriers preventing the achievement of full citizenship after imprisonment. It emphasizes and examines efforts to restore political, social, and civil rights after incarceration, particularly through community organizing by, for, and with such citizens. Whereas other books on the collateral consequences of the carceral state justly dwell on the “penal harm” of depoliticization, my book addresses political acts for the reclamation of dignity that result in reforms – triumphs – for formerly imprisoned people, particularly those with felony convictions. Such triumphs include returning the right to vote, restoring access to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and SNAP (Food Stamps), and the diffusion of “ban the box” to remove criminal history questions from employment applications.
“We Too Sing America…” by Ritchie Weatherspoon, 2004
politics of policing
Tom Clark, Adam Glynn, and I co-direct the Politics of Policing Lab (PoPL) at Emory University. We’ve a collaborative portfolio of published and forthcoming studies at the intersection of local policing and local politics, including acquisitions and uses of surplus military equipment, “officer-involved shootings” of civilians, and public and philanthropic support for the police. It’s yielding a book we’re co-authoring a book “Policing Shootings in American Cities” (under contract with Princeton University Press) about police shootings during encounters with the public, drawing on data we collected with the support of the National Science Foundation for the project “Police Shootings and Civic Engagement.” Interested in a research collaboration or inviting us to speak? Contact policinglab@emory.edu.
other subjects
Stemming from the topics that first brought me to political science, I’ve conducted empirical and applied research studies about the politics and consequences of community development and “the regional good,” especially in cities and metropolises. They include studies of the local politics and policy implementation of public housing demolition and redevelopment; contemporary challenges for representation and empowerment of Black Americans in municipal government; public opinion and political behavior about urban challenges, including cityhood movements and gentrification; and interest group advocacy for compensating the wrongfully convicted. (Again, I look forward to studying lighter subjects one day!)