Research
Specialty Courts, Special for Whom? Examining Racial Inequities in Participation
Race and Justice
Specialty courts are widely promoted as a more equitable path through the justice system - but access to them isn't equal. In this collaboration with Dr. Augustine Tarkom, a former TAMIU PhD student now serving as Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at Texas State University, the study analyzes seven years of Indiana drug, veterans, and reentry court data and finds Black individuals are significantly underrepresented in drug courts and overrepresented in reentry courts relative to arrest rates and county demographics. Drawing on institutional and organizational analysis, the findings point to structural factors - referral systems, program capacity, and administrative practice - that shape who gains access before a judge ever weighs in.
Pathways Through the Mental Health and Criminal Justice System for Latinos with Behavioral Health Disorders
Justice, Opportunities, and Rehabilitation
Latinos are overrepresented in U.S. correctional settings, yet little is known about how their behavioral health and justice involvement unfold over time. Co-authored with Allica Campos, a current TAMIU Criminal Justice PhD student whose own research focuses on victimization in cybersettings, this study draws on sixteen in-depth interviews using a life history calendar approach. Findings show that justice-system contact frequently precedes mental health or substance use treatment - leaving long gaps between when symptoms emerge and when care begins - and point to the need for culturally responsive, earlier-intervention approaches.
Missed opportunities for culturally responsive treatment: Applying the sequential intercept model to Latino behavioral health and justice pathways
This study explores pathways into and out of the criminal justice system for Latinos with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, emphasizing missed and successful opportunities for intervention...
Contact
Department of Social Sciences
Academic Innovation Center 313
Phone: 956.326.2475 | Email: brenda.martinez@tamiu.edu