Publications

• Broken Windows Ideology and the (Mis)Reading of Graffiti
• Gangs, Gang Members, and Geography

Assoc. Professor - Gang Labeling / Graffiti Expert

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

I am a tenured associate professor in the School of Geography, Development, and Environment at the University of Arizona, with faculty appointments in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory and the Criminology minor in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. I provide expert testimony in criminal cases involving gang identity, gang territoriality, gang enhancements, and gang-related criminal activity, including the use of gang and non-gang graffiti in criminal cases. My expert opinions draw on two decades of active research, direct fieldwork in gang-affected communities, personal experience living and operating in gang-controlled environments, and participation in criminal cases in multiple jurisdictions. I am available to be retained by defense or prosecution and am experienced working with attorneys from initial case review through deposition and trial testimony. My published work includes one monograph, a second on gang identity and a history of gang territoriality in Los Angeles under contract with the University of Chicago Press, and more than 25 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in criminology and related fields. My work and analysis have appeared in NPR, the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. I have provided expert testimony in criminal cases in Pima, Gila, and Los Angeles counties, and I am a member of the American Society of Criminology (ASC), the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). I am currently the co-chair of the University of Arizona Committee on Ethics and Commitment and former chair of the University of Arizona Police Advisory Board. I also teach the 400+-student "Crime and City" course at the University of Arizona.