Shytierra Gaston

Dr. Gaston’s research and teaching expertise center on two broad areas: the intersection of race/ethnicity, racism, crime, and criminal justice and the U.S. correctional system. In particular, she uses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies to investigate research topics related to the treatment of people of color during criminal justice processing, the disparate impact of the criminal justice system on communities of color, prisoner reentry, and the collateral consequences of incarceration for formerly-incarcerated persons and their families and communities. Her recent research has examined the sources of race disparities in policing, the long-term mental health consequences of parental incarceration, and the intergenerational consequences of historical racist violence among families of lynching victims. Dr. Gaston is an active member of the American Society of Criminology and the Racial Democracy, Crime, and Justice Network. She holds a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Prior to joining Georgia State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Dr. Gaston was an assistant professor at Northeastern University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Twitter: @DrShytierra