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Traylor, LaTosha L.

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Sociology

Office: 657-278-2359

Department: 657-278-3531

Email: ltraylor@fullerton.edu

Biography:

LaTosha Traylor holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in criminology, law and justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a B.A. in women’s studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Traylor is an interdisciplinary researcher, teacher and mentor trained in qualitative research methods. Her research interests comprise three substantive areas: motherhood at the intersection of criminalization, re-entry decision-making strategies for women during the re-entry process, and the implications of criminalization and subsequent incarceration on vulnerable families and communities. Dr. Traylor has published papers on these topics in Sociology Compass (2015); Souls: A Critical Journal on Black Politics, Culture, and Society (2012); and the Oxford Handbook on Sentencing and Corrections (2012). Her doctoral research examined the implications of racialized imagery of motherhood on post-incarceration experiences of a group of formerly incarcerated black women. Traylor’s research highlighted the complex formal and informal systems of surveillance, benchmarks and oversight these women navigate, which are a byproduct of their reality as black women and mothers with a history of incarceration. Dr. Traylor’s current research project examines decision-making strategies used by formerly incarcerated mothers during re-entry. Her future research agenda includes examining the implications of micro-level processes associated with familial incarceration and the social organization of disadvantaged community at the structural level. This involves not only investigating how families cope with the incarceration of the loved ones, but also how social institutions subsequently respond to the disproportionate impacts of incarceration on vulnerable families and communities of color. Dr. Traylor is a committed educator and mentor to her students and perceives her role in the classroom as a facilitator of their learning and development into critical consumers of social


Areas of Knowledge:

  • Female Incarceration
  • Prisoner Re-entry and Reintegration
  • Corrections
  • Qualitative Research Methods
  • Intersectionality

Subject(s):

  • Criminal Justice
  • Gender Studies
  • Sociology
  • Women's Studies

 

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