ASA 2018: Transforming the System: Dialogue on Criminal (In)Justice Reform in Philly

Please join us for Sociologists for Justice’s Annual Meeting at the American Sociological Association Conference in Philadelphia on August 13, 2018 at 6:30 pm. This year’s meeting will feature a panel of local criminal justice reform activists and… Read More

ASA 2016 Meeting Recap and Next Steps

Nearly 100 sociologists attended the Sociologists for Justice meeting on August 20, 2016 in Seattle, WA.we had a lively and inspiring meeting that ended with several actionable ideas for the group. We invite your suggestions and participation on a working group to help shape the agenda and actions for Sociologists for Justice this year.

When Will It End? The Deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile Underscore Need for Sustained Action

The police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile this month have sparked nationwide protests as the nation once again struggles to confront the reality of racialized police violence against blacks in the U.S. We continue to support… Read More

It’s on all of us to stop the mini ‘civil wars’ being waged on our streets

My brother, Tom Vargas, a Chicago police officer, worked in Englewood, one of Chicago’s most violent and gang infested neighborhoods. On the morning of June 1, 2009, I woke to news of a young officer killed in Tom’s district…. Read More

Growing Up in Ferguson: When Your Hometown Becomes a Symbol

I’d always told people I’m from St. Louis. Who knew of Ferguson? As the one year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death approaches, “Ferguson” is once again emerging as a symbol of a year’s worth of unjustified deaths and… Read More

ASA Meeting in Chicago

Please join Sociologists for Justice for an informal meet and greet during the annual American Sociological Association meeting in Chicago. We will discuss public sociology, the findings from our 2014 survey, Ferguson one year later, and the Black… Read More

Statement on Grand Jury Decision in Shooting Death of Michael Brown

We are deeply disappointed in the grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. The handling of the case by St. Louis County Prosecutor Attorney Robert McCulloch and… Read More

Ferguson: Nobody Should Be Surprised

In an op-ed published in the St. Louis Dispatch, Gregory Squires, a Sociologist for Justice member and George Washington University sociology and public policy professor, argues that uneven development and residential segregation contribute to racial tensions between police and… Read More

Ferguson In Context TweetChat – Monday 10/13

Please join us on Monday, October 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. ET for Ferguson In Context, a tweetchat. The discussion will focus on the social and historical context of Ferguson, police abuse, and strategies for social change. To… Read More

The SocietyPages: There’s Research on That!

Reflecting on Ferguson by Evan Stewart In the wake of protests responding to the killing of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri, sociologists began building a large body of resources to explain how these events fit into… Read More