My research and teaching interests include law, punishment, race, and social movements. I use qualitative methods to investigate how the criminal legal system exacerbates and legitimizes racial and class inequities, focusing specifically on how legal professionals and impacted community members experience and resist mass criminalization in their daily lives. My current research examines the role of public defense lawyers in criminal justice reform and transformation in the Southern United States.
I work with Minnesota organizations that seek to dismantle mass criminalization and support people with criminal records including Minnesota Justice Research Center, All Square, and Children of Incarcerated Caregivers. I have a PhD and MA from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and a BA and MA from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, playing video games, and taking in all the natural beauty Minnesota has to offer.
Teaching philosophy
I view teaching as an opportunity to discuss inequality and other issues in the criminal legal system while seeing its impacts firsthand. I do this by cultivating a supportive class environment, challenging assumptions about crime and criminality, and teaching transferable skills that are relevant beyond academia. In doing so, I hope to support students as they become capable leaders passionate about social change long after our course ends.
Learning should be an interactive and generative experience for students. In my courses, we engage with the concepts in the classroom and in the real world, cultivating a meaningful and long-lasting educational experience. My ultimate goal is to empower students with that knowledge and skills that will be useful not only in college but in their everyday lives and future career paths.
—Caity Curry
