Convict Criminology, Lived Experience, and the Future of Criminal Legal System Reform

Fri, January 24, 2025 10:00 AM - Fri, January 24, 2025 11:30 AM at C204 Snyder Hall

The School of Criminal Justice is hosting a research presentation featuring Dr. Jennifer Ortiz, Associate Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies at the College of New Jersey titled Convict Criminology, Lived Experience, and the Future of Criminal Legal System Reform. This is a unique opportunity to explore innovative ideas, connect with colleagues, and foster collaborative discussions.

Date: Friday, Jan 24th, 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Location: C204 Snyder Hall

Since the 1990s, Convict Criminology has sought to include the voices of those directly impacted by the criminal legal system through research, mentorship, and scholarship. This subfield of criminology, despite being relegated to the margins of mainstream criminology for nearly two decades, is a vibrant and growing scholarvist movement both nationally and internationally. In response to evolving societal views of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, other related subareas have emerged including lived experience criminology, thug criminology, barrio criminology, and others. Dr. Ortiz’s presentation will explore the history of Convict Criminology, its contributions to criminology, and its transformative power in the lives of formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals seeking hire education. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the potential for these subfields to influence criminal legal system reform.


Bio:
Jennifer Ortiz earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Her research interests center on structural violence within the criminal justice system with a focus on reentry post-incarceration and gangs. Her research has been published in leading corrections journals including The Prison Journal, Corrections: Research, Policy, and Practice, and The Journal of Prisoners on Prisons. Ortiz is the author of the recently published edited volume Critical & Intersectional Gang Studies. Ortiz maintains a firm commitment to service and activism. She is currently the Division Chair for the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Convict Criminology and Book Review Editor for the Critical Criminology Journal. She previously served as President of the New Albany, Indiana Human Rights Commission and as an executive board member for Mission Behind Bars and Beyond, a Kentucky-based non-profit reentry organization. Ortiz is the former
Research Director for the New York State Permanent Commission on Sentencing.