Collegiate Affiliation
Ph.D. Candidate,
Sociology

Chris Robertson is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Sociology Department, and an alumnus of the Minnesota Population Center Population Studies Training Program. His scholarship examines: (1) the legacies of racism on present-day legal system practices,  and (2)  the health costs of punitive social control.  Chris's research has been funded by the American Sociological Association, the American Bar Foundation, the Law and Society Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation.

Chris's dissertation examines the case of racially restrictive covenant use in Minneapolis to understand how neighborhood histories of racial exclusion shape contemporary police stopping practices and demands for police services (e.g., 911 calls). His dissertation project also explores how neighborhood disparities in police contact shape population health outcomes.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • B.B.A.: Management, The University of Texas at Austin, 2011
  • M.A.: Sociology, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2018
  • M.A.: Sociology, University of Minnesota, 2021

Specialties

  • Punishment (Policing and Community Relations; Community Supervision)
  • Race and Racism
  • Population Health
  • Community Violence
  • Life Course Approach/Theory