Christopher Uggen

He/Him

uggen001@umn.edu

612-624-4016

Sociology

1014A Social Sciences Building

267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Curriculum Vitae

Collegiate Affiliation

Sociology

Links

personal web site

Christopher Uggen is Regents Professor and Martindale Chair in Sociology, Law, and Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. He studies crime, law, and inequality, firm in the belief that sound research can help build a more just and peaceful world. His books include Incarceration and Health in the Age of Mass Incarceration (2022, Oxford) and Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy (2006, Oxford). His current projects examine voting rights for people with criminal records, prison reentry, Scandinavian criminal justice, and monetary sanctions. He is a fellow of the American Society of Criminology and recently served as Vice President of the American Sociological Association.

Educational Background & Specialties

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Educational Background

Ph.D.: Sociology, University of Wisconsin, 1995
M.S.: Sociology, University of Wisconsin, 1990
B.A.: Behavioral Science and Law/Criminal Justice, University of Wisconsin, 1986

Specialties

Crime, Law, Justice
Life Course
Inequality
Methods
Policy

Publications

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Publications

“The Contingent Effect of Incarceration on State Health Outcomes.” with Jason Schnittker, Mike Massoglia, and Sarah Shannon. 2023. Social Science & Medicine – Population Health 21: 101322.
“Judging Genocide: Emotional Labor During Transitional Justice.” with Hollie Nyseth Nzitatir and Evelyn Gertz. 2023. Forthcoming in Law & Social Inquiry
“There’s Research on That: Translating and Sharing Sociology for Public Audiences.” with Douglas Hartmann. 2023. Forthcoming in Sociological Forum 38.
“Sexual Harassment, Gender and the Workplace.” with Heather McLaughlin and Amy Blackstone. 2023. Forthcoming in Women, Men and Crime: Learning through Experts and Cases, edited by Kathleen Bogle (San Diego: Cognella).
“Partnerships in Public Sociology: Expanding Voting Rights for People with Felony Convictions.” 2023. Forthcoming in Berkeley Journal of Sociology.
“Dual Debtors: Child Support and Criminal Financial Legal Obligations.” with Horowitz, Veronica, Kimberly Spencer-Suarez, Ryan Larson, Robert Stewart, Frank Edwards, and Emmi Obara. 2022. Social Service Review 96(2):226-67.
Locked Out 2022: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights Due to a Felony Conviction with Ryan Larson, Sarah Shannon, and Robert Stewart. 2022. Washington, DC: Sentencing Project.
“Felon History and Change in U.S. Employment Rates.” with Ryan Larson, Sarah Shannon, and Aaron Sojourner. 2022. Social Science Research 103:102649 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102649
“Before and After Ban the Box: Who Complies with Anti-Discrimination Law?” with Lesley Schneider, Mike Vuolo, and Sarah Lageson. 2022. “ Law & Social Inquiry 47(3):749-82.
“Native Americans and Monetary Sanctions.” with Robert Stewart, Brieanna Watters, Veronica Horowitz, Ryan Larson, and Brian Sargent. 2022. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 8 (2):137-56.
"Justice by Geography: The Role of Monetary Sanctions Across Communities.” with Gabriela Kirk, Kristina Thompson, Beth M. Huebner, and Sarah Shannon. 2022. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 8(1):200-20.
“Toward a Criminology of Sexual Harassment.” with Ráchael A. Powers, Heather McLaughlin, and Amy Blackstone. 2021. Annual Review of Criminology 4:33-51.
“Consequences of Judging Transitional Justice Courts.” with Hollie Nyseth Brehm, Laura Frizzell, and Evelyn Gertz. 2021. British Journal of Criminology 61:1169-1186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azab008
“Fostering Desistance.” with Shawn Bushway. 2021. Contexts 20: 34-39.
* Revised version of “Fostering Desistance.” 2021. Pp. 47-57 in A Better Path Forward for Criminal Justice. Report by the Brookings-AEI Working Group on Criminal Justice Reform.
“A Comparative Perspective on Officer Wellness: American Reflections from Norwegian Prisons.” with Veronica L. Horowitz, Emily R. Greberman, Patrick E. Nolan, Jordan M. Hyatt, Synøve N. Andersen, and Steven Chanenson. 2021. in Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law, and Society 34:477-97. DOI: 10.1080/1478601X.2021.2001231
“Criminal Punishment and Violent Injury in Minnesota.” with Jeanie Santaularia and Ryan Larson. 2021. Injury Epidemiology 8:1-10.
“‘We Can Actually Do This’: Adapting Scandinavian Correctional Culture in Pennsylvania.” with Jordan M. Hyatt, Synøve N. Andersen, and Steven Chanenson. 2021. American Criminal Law Review 58:1715-1746.
“Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era.” with Heather McLaughlin. 2021. Forthcoming in 5th edition of David Grusky’s Inequality reader with Nima Dahir and Claire Daviss (Routledge).
Locked Out 2020: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights Due to a Felony Conviction with Ryan Larson, Sarah Shannon, and Arleth Pulido-Nava. 2020. Washington, DC: Sentencing Project.
“The Broad Scope and Variation of Monetary Sanctions: Evidence from Eight States.” with Sarah Shannon, Beth M. Huebner, Alexes Harris, Karin Martin, Mary Pattillo, Becky Pettit, and Bryan Sykes. 2020. UCLA Criminal Justice Law Review 4:269-81.
"Criminal Records and College Admissions: A National Experimental Audit," with Robert Stewart. Forthcoming 2020. Criminology. DOI 10.1111/1745-9125.12229
“‘We Came to Realize We Are Judges’: The Moral Careers of Elected Lay Jurists in Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts.” with Hollie Nyseth Brehm, Louisa Roberts, and Jean-Damascéne Gasanabo. 2020. International Journal of Transitional Justice 14:443-63.
"Consistency and Compensation in Mercy: Commutation in the Era of Mass Incarceration,” with Veronica Horowitz. 2019. Social Forces 97:1205-1230.
"Why Not Minnesota? Norway, Justice Reform, and 50-Labs Federalism,” with Robert Stewart and Veronica Horowitz. 2018. Federal Sentencing Reporter 31:5-13.
"A Dynamic, Life Course Approach to Genocide," with Hollie Nyseth Brehm and Suzy McElrath. 2018. Social Currents 5:107-119.
"Techniques of Neutralization and Identity Work among Genocide Perpetrators," with Emily Bryant, Emily Schulz, and Hollie Nyseth Brehm. 2018. Social Problems 65:584-602.
"Is the Public Getting Smarter on Crime?," with Ryan Larson. 2017. Contexts 16(4):76-78.
“The Growth, Scope, and Spatial Distribution of People with Felony Records in the United States, 1948-2010," with Sarah Shannon, Jason Schnittker, Michael Massoglia, Melissa Thompson, and Sara Wakefield. 2017. Demography 54:1795-1818.
"From Daddy's Liquor Cabinet to Home Depot: Shifts in Leisure Activity in the Transition to Adulthood," with Sarah Shannon and D. Wayne Osgood. 2017. Pp. 163-189 in Crossings to Adulthood: How Diverse Young Americans Understand and Navigate their Lives. Edited by T. T. Swartz, D. Hartmann, and Rubén G. Rumbaut. The Netherlands: Brill.
"Criminal Record Questions in the Era of ‘Ban the Box’," with Michael Vuolo and Sarah Lageson. 2017. Criminology and Public Policy 8:139-165.
"The Economic and Career Effects of Sexual Harassment on Working Women," with Heather McLaughlin and Amy Blackstone. 2017. Gender & Society 31:333-358.
"Race, Recession, and Social Closure in the Low Wage Labor Market," with Mike Vuolo and Sarah Lageson. 2017. Research in the Sociology of Work 30:141-183.
"Records, Relationships, and Reentries: How Specific Punishment Conditions Affect Family Life." 2016. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 665:142-148.
"Blended Sentencing Laws and the Punitive Turn in Juvenile Justice," with Shelley Schaefer. 2016. Law & Social Inquiry 41:435-63.
"Statistical Power in Experimental Audit Studies: Cautions and Calculations for Matched Tests with Nominal Outcomes," with Mike Vuolo and Sarah Lageson. 2016. Sociological Methods & Research 45:260-303.
Assigned: Life with Gender. 2016. Edited with Lisa Wade and Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
"The Increasing Stickiness of Public Labels," with Lindsay Blahnik. 2016. Pp. 222-243 in Global Perspectives on Desistance. Edited by Joanna Shapland, Stephen Farrall, and Anthony Bottoms. UK: Routledge.
"The Increasing Stickiness of Public Labels," with Lindsay Blahnik. 2016. Pp. 222-243 in Global Perspectives on Desistance. Edited by Joanna Shapland, Stephen Farrall, and Anthony Bottoms. NY: Routledge.
"Age, Gender, and the Crime of Crimes: Toward a Life-Course Theory of Genocide Participation," with Hollie Nyseth Brehm and Jean-Damascéne Gasanabo. 2016. Criminology 54:713-743.
"Piling On: Collateral Consequences and Community Supervision,” with Robert Stewart. 2015. Minnesota Law Review 99:1871-1910.
Getting Culture. 2015. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
Owned. 2015. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
"The Institutional Effects of Incarceration: Spillovers From Criminal Justice to Health Care," with Jason Schnittker, Sarah Shannon, and Suzy Maves McElrath. 2015. Milbank Quarterly 93:516-560.
"Parental Incarceration: What We Know and Where We Need to Go," with Suzy McElrath. 2014. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 104:597-604.
"Genocide, Justice, and Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts," with Hollie Nyseth Brehm and Jean-Damascène Gasanabo. 2014. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 30:333-52.
"'I Didn’t Recognize it as a Bad Experience until I was Much Older': Age, Experience, and Workers’ Perceptions of Sexual Harassment," with Amy Blackstone and Jason Houle. 2014. Sociological Spectrum 34:314-337.
"The Edge of Stigma: An Experimental Audit of the Effects of Low-Level Criminal Records on Employment," with Mike Vuolo, Sarah Lageson, Ebony Ruhland, and Hilary Whitham. 2014. Criminology 52:627-654.
"Legal Ambiguity in Managerial Assessments of Criminal Records," with Sarah Lageson and Mike Vuolo. 2014. Law & Social Inquiry 40:175-204.
"Taste Clusters of Music and Drugs: Evidence from Three Analytic Levels," with Michael Vuolo and Sarah Lageson. 2014. British Journal of Sociology, 65:520-554.
Crime and the Punished. 2014. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
Color Lines and Racial Angles. 2014. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
"Productive Addicts and Harm Reduction: How Work Reduces Crime – But Not Drug Use,” with Sarah Shannon. 2014. Social Problems 61:105-136.
The Social Side of Politics. 2013. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
"How Work Affects Crime-And Crime Affects Work-Over The Life Course," with Sarah Lageson. 2013. Pp. 201-212 in Handbook of Life-Course Criminology: Emerging Trends and Directions for Future Research. Edited by Chris L. Gibson and Marvin D. Krohn. NY: Springer.
"Out and Down: Incarceration and Psychiatric Disorders," with Jason Schnittker and Michael Massoglia. 2012. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 53:448-464.
"Dealers, Thieves, and the Common Determinants of Drug and Non-Drug Illegal Earnings," with Melissa Thompson. 2012. Criminology 50:1057-1087.
"Institutions, Politics, and Mental Health Parity," with Elaine Hernandez. 2012. Society and Mental Health 2:154-171.
"Employment and Exile: U.S. Criminal Deportations, 1908-2005," with Ryan King and Michael Massoglia. 2012. American Journal of Sociology 117:1786-1825.
"Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power," with Heather McLaughlin and Amy Blackstone. 2012. American Sociological Review 77:625-647.
The Contexts Reader. 2012. Edited with Douglas Hartmann. NY: W.W. Norton.
"The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Depressive Symptoms during the Early Occupational Career," with Jason N. Houle, Jeremy Staff, Jeylan T. Mortimer, and Amy Blackstone. 2011. Society and Mental Health 1:89-105.
"Incarceration and the Health of the African American Community," with Jason Schnittker and Michael Massoglia. 2011. Du Bois Review 8:133-141.
"Employment Restrictions for Individuals with Felon Status and Racial Inequality in the Labor Market," with Darren Wheelock and Heather Hlavka. 2011. Pages 278-307 in Global Perspectives on Re-Entry edited by Ikponwosa O. Ekunwe and Richard S. Jones. Tampere, Finland: Tampere University Press.
"Incarceration and Stratification," with Sara Wakefield. 2010. Annual Review of Sociology 36:387-446.
"Public Criminologies," with Michelle Inderbitzin. 2010. Criminology and Public Policy 9:725-750.
"Settling Down and Aging Out: Toward an Interactionist Theory of Desistance and the Transition to Adulthood,” with Michael Massoglia. 2010. American Journal of Sociology 116:543-582.
"Legal Consciousness and Responses to Sexual Harassment," Amy Blackstone and Heather McLaughlin. 2009. Law & Society Review 43:631-668.
"Real Men Use Non-Lethals: Appeals to Masculinity in Marketing Police Weaponry," with Jesse Wozniak. 2009. Feminist Criminology 4:274-293.
"Sexual Harassment Comes of Age: A Comparative Analysis of the United States and Japan," with Chika Shinohara. 2009. The Sociological Quarterly 50:201-234.
"Welfare and Citizenship: The Effects of Government Assistance on Voting Behavior," with Teresa Swartz, Amy Blackstone, and Heather McLaughlin. 2009. The Sociological Quarterly 50:633-665.
"Editorial Introduction: The Effect of Criminal Background Checks on Hiring Ex-Offenders," 2008. Criminology and Public Policy 7:367-370.
Locked Out: Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy, with Jeff Manza. 2006, 2008. NY: Oxford University Press.

Activities

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Activities

Professional

Editorial Boards: American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency,Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 1996 - 2020
American Society of Criminology Executive Board 2002 - 2009
Chair, College Plan Committee (with Gary Oehlert) 2009 - 2011
Department Chair, Department of Sociology 2006 - 2012
Editor, Contexts (with Doug Hartmann) 2007 - 2011
Editor & Publisher, TheSocietyPages.org: The Society Pages (TSP) is an open-access social science project headquartered in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota and supported by individual donors and publishing partner W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. TSP consists of in-house “TSP HQ” articles, blogs, and podcasts; our “Community Pages”; and content produced by our partners.. 2010 - 2017
Chair: College of Liberal Arts Council of Chairs (28 departments). 2010 - 2011
Chair: ASA Crime, Law, Deviance Section. 2014 - 2015
Vice Chair: University of Minnesota Faculty Consultative Committee. 2014 - 2015
Vice President: American Sociological Association. 2017 - 2018

Outreach

Expert Testimony: Johnson v. Bush. 2000 - 2004
Invited Speaker: National Coalition on Violence Research, Urban Institute, Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, Minnesota Elder Learning Center, US-Japan Foundation, Economic Policy Institute. 1999 - - none
Consultant: Sentencing Project, Safer Foundation, Council on Crime and Justice. 2000 - -
Demos: New York.
Invited Speaker, White House parental incarceration forum 2013 -
Sentencing Project: Washington D.C..
Council on Crime and Justice: Minneapolis.
Wilhelm and Conlon/Safer Foundation (reentry program): Chicago.
: Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Hennepin County Attorney's Office: Minneapolis, MN.
: Volunteers in Probation.
Mexican American Legal Defense Fund: Los Angeles.
Human Subjects Committee: Minnesota Department of Corrections. 2009 - 2016
Executive Advisory Board: University Research Outreach Center. 2015 - 2018
Minnesota legislature reentry working group: Employment and Crime. Oct. 27, 2007 -
Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Fairness Committee: Felon disenfranchisement. Nov. 29, 2006 -
Minnesota Senate Crime and Prevention and Public Safety Committee: Convicted felons civil rights and voting eligibility restoration. March 28, 2006 -
Minesota Senate Elections Committee March 20, 2006 -

Research

RWJF Investigator Award ($415,216): Incarceration and Health, with Jason Schnittker. 6/1/10 - 5/30/14
Laura and John Arnold Foundation ($3,506,048): Multi-state Study of Monetary Sanctions [co-I with Alexes Harris (PI), Beth Huebner, Karin Martin, Mary Pattillo, Becky Pettit, Bryan Sykes, and Sarah Shannon]. 7/1/15 - 6/30/20
: TheSocietyPages.org, editor and publisher, with Doug Hartmann..
PENDING. National Science Foundation ($487,822): Collaborative Research: Genocide and Transitional Justice in Rwanda [co-PI with Hollie Nyseth Brehm]. 8/1/16 - 7/31/19
Spencer Foundation ($49,975): Criminal Records, Race, and College Admission.” [co-PI with Robert Stewart]. 10/15/15 - 10/14/16
American Sociological Association Fund for Advancement of the Discipline ($6,960): “Genocide, Justice, and Rwanda’s Gacaca Courts [co-PI with Hollie Nyseth Brehm].. 7/1/14 - 6/30/15
NIH - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Work Experience and Mental Health: A Panel Study of Youth.” [Co-Investigator with Jeylan Mortimer (PI) et al.]. 4/1/08-3/31/13. $1,250,000.
National Science Foundation. “Gender Differences in the Causes and Consequences of Drug Use.” [Co-PI with Melissa Thompson]. 5/13/07-4/29/09. $108,074 ($24,700 at Minnesota).
National Institute of Justice. “The Effects of Low-Level Offense Records and Race on Employability” [PI with The Council on Crime and Justice]. 5/1/07-10/31/08. $35,000.
JEHT Foundation. “The Effects of Low-Level Offense Records and Race on Employability” [PI with The Council on Crime and Justice]. [PI with The Council on Crime and Justice]. 5/1/07- 10/31/08. $265,300 ($80,000 at Minnesota).
The Sentencing Project. “Voting and Civic Reintegration in Oregon.” [Co-PI with Michelle Inderbitzin]. 6/1/06-12/31/08. $5,500.
NIH - National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “Work Experience and Mental Health: A Panel Study of Youth” [Co-Investigator with Jeylan Mortimer (PI) et al.]. 8/12/02-8/11/07. $1,557,287.
National Institute of Mental Health, Institutional Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA). “Mental Health and Adjustment in the Life Course.” [Core Faculty Member and Co-Investigator on this training grant with Jeylan Mortimer (PI) ...
Soros Foundation. Open Society Institute Individual Project Fellowship [with Jeff Manza, Northwestern]. 7/1/00-12/31/02. $101,164 ($50,602 at Minnesota).
National Science Foundation. “Political Consequences of Felon Disenfranchisement.” [with Jeff Manza, Northwestern] 6/1/99-12/31/02. $210,000 ($101,570 at Minnesota).
NIH - National Institute of Mental Health. “Work Experience and Mental Health: A Panel Study of Youth.” [Co-Investigator with Jeylan Mortimer (PI) and Michael Finch]. 3/1/97- 2/28/02. $845,304.
National Institute of Justice. “Careers in Crime and Substance Use.” $45,903.
Grand Challenge Interdisciplinary Work Group Collaboration. ($249,000): "Assessing Interventions for Justice and Equity." [co-PI with Myron Orfield]. 9/1/16 - 9/1/18

Awards

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Awards

Public Understanding of Sociology Award, American Sociological Assn. (w/ Hartmann), 2023
Commendation for Service, City of Minneapolis, 2022
Outstanding Research Award. Minnesota Population Center , 2019
James F. Short Distinguished Article Award, American Sociological Assn. (CLD Section), 2018
Publication Award, American Sociological Assn. (Soc. Practice & Public Soc. Section), 2018
American Society of Criminology Cavan Award (outstanding scholarly contributions to the field of criminology), 2000 - none
SUNY Albany Hindelang Speaker Award, career contributions to criminology, 2016
Peterson-Krivo Mentoring Award, American Sociological Assn. (CLD Section), 2014
MERLOT Award (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) for outstanding, peer-reviewed online resource, 2013
Named Fellow of the American Society of Criminology, 2013
Equal Justice Award for Research, Council on Crime and Justice, 2011
Executive Board, American Society of Criminology, 2003 - 2009
Certificate of Appreciation, TRIO Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, 2007
Distinguished McKnight University Professorship, 2006
Public Sociology Award, U of M Department of Sociology, 2005
Sociological Education Award, Sociologists of Minnesota, 2004
New York Times Magazine, "Idea of the Year", 2004
Soros Foundation Open Society Institute Fellow, 2000 - 2002
Mortar Board National Honor Society Outstanding Faculty Award, 2001 - none
National Institute of Justice grantee, 1998 - 1999
National Science Foundation grantee, 1999 - 2002
Junior Scholar Award, International Society of Criminology, 1998 - none

Courses

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Courses

Soc 8111: Criminology
Soc 8090: Topics in Soc: Workshop: Journal Editing Seminar
Soc 4141: Juvenile Delinquency
Soc 4977V/Soc 4978V: Senior Honors Seminars
Soc 4966W: Major-Project Seminar
Soc 4111: Sociology of Deviance
Soc 8001 Sociology as a Profession
Soc 8890: Event History and Panel Data Models