"Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages."
Dr. Janet Garcia-Hallett's research evaluates the prevalent disparities that hinder social equality - that is, the racial-ethnic disparities in carceral systems, the detrimental impact of incarceration on communities of color, and the unique obstacles women of color face in society and within penal institutions. As such, Dr. Garcia-Hallett is committed to conducting innovative research that helps implement social justice reforms.
Recent Awards & Recognitions
2024. Outstanding Book Award. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).
2023. New Scholar Award. Division of Feminist Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (ASC).
2023. Ida B. Wells-Barnett Distinguished Book Award. Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
2023. Honorable Mention. Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award. Section on Race, Gender, and Class of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
2023. Finalist. Media for a Just Society Book Award. Evident Change.
2023. Finalist. William J. Goode Book Award. Family Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
2023. Dorothy Bracey / Janice Joseph Minority and Women New Scholar Award. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).
2022. New Scholar Award. Division of People of Color and Crime of the American Society of Criminology (ASC) .
2022. Faculty Research Fund Award. University of New Haven.
2021. University of Missouri President's Award for Intercampus Collaboration (along with Kelli Canada, MU; Beth Huebner, UMSTL; Ashley Givens, MU; Clark Peters, MU).
2020. Honorable Mention. Feminist Criminology's Helen Eigenberg Best Article of the Year Award for 2019. Recognition for publication: "Maternal Identities and Narratives of Motherhood: A Qualitative Exploration of Women's Pathways Into and Out of Offending."
2019. Scholarship for National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program. University of Missouri-Kansas City.
2018. Summer Research Institute. Racial Democracy, Crime and Justice Network (RDCJN).
2016. Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate Scholarship. Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP).
2015. Dissertation Fellowship. Rutgers University-Newark.
2014. Graduate Fellowship for Ethnic Minorities (currently known as the Ruth Peterson Fellowship for Racial and Ethnic Diversity). American Society of Criminology (ASC).
2011-2013. Presidential Fellowship. Rutgers University-Newark.
2011. Bertha Block Scholarship Award. CUNY Hunter College.
2011. Benjamin Ringer Award. CUNY Hunter College.
2010-2011. Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. CUNY Hunter College.
2010. Student Paper Award. Division on Critical Criminology of the American Society of Criminology (ASC).
2007-2011. Full 4-year Scholarship. Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College.
Inzana, V., Kaur, J., Garcia-Hallett, J., Givens, A., Huebner, B. M., Taylor, E., & Canada, K. E. (2024). "Cameras Help, but Hurt": The Role and Use of Prison Cameras for Accountability. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 40(4), 619-639.
2024-Present: Missouri Prison Transformation Project (MPTP) with research team: Kelli Canada (PI), Beth Huebner, Ashley Givens, Francis Huang, and Rabia Faizan. Arnold/Ventures.
2020-2024: Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN) with the Missouri Department of Corrections and Research Team: Kelli Canada (PI), Beth Huebner, and Ashley Givens. Urban Institute and Arnold/Ventures.
Select Presentations and Civic Engagements
2021. Mothers of Color and the Blurred Line Between Substance Use and Offending. University of New Haven Criminal Justice Research and Policy Colloquium Series.