Doctoral Dissertation Research: How Low-Level Misdemeanor Courts Regulate Populations

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

In this project, the practices through which misdemeanor courts manage and regulate populations are investigated. Specifically, this project studies whether and how the courts may restrict and monitor people and whether that varies according to people?s social position. It also investigates how defendants may react to and resist this regulation. This study will contribute to sociological research on and understanding of social control by focusing in its examination of misdemeanor justice not on how courts regulate but on those who are experiencing regulation. Findings from this project promise to better the general welfare of the population and society by illuminating ways to improve the delivery of misdemeanor justice. In this project, misdemeanor court management and regulation of populations will be researched through ethnographic methods and interviews. These will include participant observation of at least 12 misdemeanor courtrooms and interviews with court defendants, prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys. Based on theory and past findings about variables that affect court practices, such as rural vs. urban settings, the courtrooms in this study will vary by size, demographics, location, and other features. This will facilitate identifying the characteristics that best explain courtroom practices and outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.