The Criminology Academy

This week we talk with RV Gundur who is a criminologist based out of Australia. We talk to him about his new book "Trying to Make It: The Enterprises, Gangs, and People of the American Drug Trade". We begin the discussion with broader set-up questions and then spend the rest of the interview just talking about the book. Of course we couldn't shove the whole book into a 1 hour episode but we tried to cover major points. RV discusses how he weaved his personal life into the book which makes for a captivating read.    RV has published in journals such as Deviant Behavior, Trends in Organized Crime, and Urban Affairs Review. You can follow RV on Twitter @gr4d or https://ravejudgerun.com/

This week we talk to Niloofar Ramezani, a professor at George Mason University's Department of Statistics, and Faye Taxman, a professor at George Mason University's School of Policy and Government and director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence! (ACE!). They talk to us about what contributes to jail populations and the effects that jail stays can have on people's mental and behavioral health.    You can find Faye on Twitter at @FayeTaxman.    Additional resources: https://www.gmuace.org/ https://www.jcoinctc.org/

This week we talk with Sadé Lindsay, a Research Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at Cornell University and a W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow of the National Institute of Justice, about her work on people leaving prisons and trying to find employment. We discuss some of the credentials and work people do while in prison and how they may or may not leverage these when back in the community trying to find a job. We also discuss turning your dissertation into a publication.    Sadé has been published in journals such as Criminology and Social Problems. You can find her on Twitter @_SadeLindsay. 

This week we talk with John Laub, professor emeritus in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. We begin by getting into John's origin story and how his career as a decorated scholar came to be. We also discuss the book John and Rob Sampson (Ep. 38) "Shared Beginnings, Divergent Lives". The book was a true undertaking as they tracked down people who had been involved in a study decades prior. John also discusses the changes that were made to the Age-graded Theory of Informal Social Control. Finally, John gives us his thoughts on the state of the field and were he would like to see it go.    John Laub has been published in journals such as Criminology, Crime and Justice, and Law and Society Review.

This week we have an exciting episode! Good friends of TCA and real life besties, Chantal Fahmy, a professor at University of Texas-San Antonio's Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, and Meghan Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Dakota's Department of Criminal Justice, talk to Jenn and Jose about their work on prison reentry and health. Specifically, we discuss why using one question to study people's health may not be enough. They also discuss healthcare while incarcerated and what some of the factors for success or unsuccessful reentry might be. Finally, we close the episode with a chat on what it's like to publish with your best friend.    You can find Chantal Fahmy on Twitter @ChantalFahmy. She has been published in journals such as Social Science & Medicine, Crime & Delinquency, and Journal of Criminal Justice.  You can find Meghan Mitchell on Twitter @meghanmmitchell. She has been published in journals such as Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Crime and Justice, and Journal of Experimental Criminology. 

A few weeks ago we talked about navigating the academic job market. However, we know that this career path is not what everyone who is getting a PhD wants to do. This week we speak with Cherrell Green, Raven Simonds, and Zach Drake about navigating the job market for non-academic jobs. Cherrell works for Justice System Partners, Raven for the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, and Zach for Nuspire. Our guests dropped a ton of knowledge at TCA. From discussion their potential paths with advisors, to setting up documentation and applications, to the work itself. 

This week we're Back in Black! As we speak with Brian Johnson, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Maryland, about how facial characteristics may or may not help people convicted of doing Dirty Deeds (possibly Done Dirt Cheap)! He answers questions about whether or not judges are Givin the Dog a Bone if they rank higher in things like attractiveness.  Brian has been published in journals like Criminology, American Sociological Review, and Crime and Justice.

Join us for this short-and-sweet episode as we review our exciting Summer 22 slate of episodes and preview our equally as exciting Fall 22 episodes. We will have a fun time discussing what we've recorded and were we plan on going in the future. It's a good time as we semi-wing it (again) this time! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @TheCrimAcademy. Also visit our website The Crim Academy Website. Please rate and review on iTunes and where you can!!!

We spoke with Jessica Mongilio, a doctoral candidate at Penn State's Department of Sociology and Criminology. Jessica talks to us about biopsychosocial criminology, we then move into a conversation about head injuries and their correlation to crime.    Jessica's work has been published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. You can find her on Twitter @JMongilio.

*NOTE* We recorded this episode prior to the ASC elections. Val is now president elect of ASC.  In this episode Jenn and Jose talk to Val Jenness who is a professor of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. We discuss a topic that has gained a lot of attention lately. It is also a sensitive topic. Val talks to us about the experiences of transgender people, specifically, trans women, in carceral settings. We discuss their experiences generally and sexual assault specifically. Val also talks to us about some of her projects in this area, especially the new SB 132 in California.