She received her Ph.D. (2008) and M.S. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University, and her B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Texas Christian University. Her research interests include youth homelessness, violence against girls and women, the role of race/ethnicity and gender in juvenile court processes, the sociology of drugs, and deviance. Her work has recently appeared in Criminology, the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and the American Behavioral Scientist. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in deviance, drugs and addiction, homelessness, and research methods.