Sex, Sexuality, Law, and (In)justice

Henry F. Fradella earned a law degree from The George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary justice studies from Arizona State University. Dr. Fradella uses transdisciplinary theories and methods to examine the law’s effects on human behavior and, conversely, how the social human condition affects the behavior of law. In particular, he specializes in the intersection of law with the social and forensic sciences, most frequently with emphases in either forensic psychology and psychiatry, or human sexuality. This includes research and teaching on the historical development of criminal and constitutional law (substantively, procedurally, and evidentially); the dynamics of legal decision-making (including the roles of politics, discretion, morality, and popular culture); and the nature, sources, and consequences of variations in legal institutions or processes (including law and social change). In 2017 he was awarded the Richard Tewksbury Award for significant contributions to scholarship or activism on the intersection of crime and sexuality by the Western Society of Criminology.

Jennifer M. Sumner is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Administration in the Department of Public Administration at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). She completed her doctorate in Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Sumner’s research examines how the criminal justice system constructs and deploys gendered and sexualized categories in its policies and practices, and how these processes affect different groups. This has included a focus on the experiences and treatment of transgender populations in the criminal justice system, including policies and practices developed to address the management and care of transgender prisoners. More recently, this work has extended beyond correctional settings to focus on exclusion and inclusion of transgender as well as law enforcement professionals in the workplace, funded by the Palm Center. Her work has also been funded by the National Science Foundation to examine correctional policy in international settings.