Research

Institutional Contact, Race and Racism, and Family Inequality

One of my research areas examines the implications of child welfare and criminal legal system contact for family life, with a focus on racial/ethnic inequality. For this work I use both survey and administrative data, including data from the Family History of Incarceration Survey, National Longitudinal Studies, National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, and state and local administrative data. My work in this area includes:

Social Segregation and Separation

Another research area examines racial/ethnic categorization and immigrant status and generation as dimensions of social and spatial stratification and inequality in the social lives of people in the U.S., particularly among those who are Latinx or of Hispanic ethnicity. My work in this area includes:

Inequality in the Transition to Adulthood

My research on inequality in the transition to adulthood in the U.S. cuts across many of my other research fields and examines variation in and predictors of variation in wellbeing of young people as they transition into adult roles and experiences. For an example of how I conceptualize the role of institutions in the childhood and the transition to adulthood, I invite you to take a peek at my remarks for the Youth Justice Institute’s Lunch & Learn Brown Bag series here. My work in this area includes: