Institute of Criminology

Jordan Blair Woods - Biography

Contact Details

Jordan Woods
Email:
jw567@cam.ac.uk

Summary

My dissertation provides a critical analysis of the treatment of issues concerning sexual orientation and gender identity in the field of criminology. It calls for a "queer criminology" that incorporates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) perspectives and theories into criminological research. The project is divided into two parts. The first part provides a historical critique of the treatment of sexual orientation and gender identity issues in each of the four theoretical schools of modern criminological thought - biological, psychological, sociological, and critical. The second part provides new visions for a queer criminological movement. It addresses a number of difficult questions that are essential to developing 'queer' criminologies, including: What does it mean to 'queer' criminology and what are the goals of such an endeavour? What ontological assumptions should guide queer criminologies? What implications does queering criminology have for the methods that criminologists employ? The analysis does not take specific positions on these issues. Rather, in exploring the range of answers to these questions, it illustrates the complexities and potential for differing positions within a queer criminological movement.

Start Date: 2010/01.

End Date: 2013/01.


Education

2010 - 2013 Doctor of Philosophy (Candidate), Criminology
University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology
Cambridge Gates Scholar
2009 - 2010 Master of Philosophy, Criminological Research
University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology
King's College Studentship
2006 - 2009 Juris Doctor, Law
University of California
Dean's Scholarship
Order of the Coif
UCLA Law Review, Senior Editor
UCLA Moot Court Honors Program
2002 - 2006 Bachelor of Arts, Social Studies (Social and Political Theory Concentration)
Harvard University

Fields of Research

Criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional law, criminalization, criminology, critical theory, identity politics, law and society, hate studies, policing.


Representative Publications

ARTICLES (Sole Author)

  • (forthcoming 2012). 'Systemic Racial Bias and RICO's Application to Criminal Street Gangs', Michigan Journal of Race and Law.

  • (forthcoming 2011). ‘A Decade After Drug Decriminalization: What Can the United States Learn from the Portuguese Model?’, District of Columbia Law Review (symposium issue).

  • (2010). 'Policing Hate Crime: A Case Study of an English Police Force", Journal of Hate Studies, 9(1): 127-148.

  • (2010). ‘Gay-Straight Alliances and Sanctioning Discrimination Under the Equal Access Act’, New York University Review of Law and Social Change, 34(1): 373-423.

  • (2010). ‘The Internet’s Promise to Improve Bias Crime Reporting: The Case for Including Bias Crimes on Official Crime-Reporting Websites’, Journal of Hate Studies, 8: 87-102.

  • (2009). ‘Addressing Youth Bias Crime’, UCLA Law Review, 56(6): 1899-1934.

  • (2009). ‘Don’t Tap, Don’t Stare, and Keep Your Hands to Yourself! Critiquing the Legality of Gay Sting Operations’, Iowa Journal of Gender, Race and Justice, 12: 545-578.

  • (2008). ‘Ensuring a Right of Access to the Courts for Bias Crime Victims: A Section 5 Defense of the Matthew Shepard Act’, Chapman Law Review, 12: 389-431.

  • (2008). ‘Morse v. Frederick’s New Perspective on Schools’ Basic Educational Missions and the Implications for Gay-Straight Alliance First Amendment Jurisprudence’, Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 18(1): 282-312.

  • (2008). ‘Taking the “Hate” Out of Hate Crimes: Applying Unfair Advantage Theory to Justify the Enhanced Punishment of Opportunistic Bias Crimes’, UCLA Law Review, 56(2): 489-541.

  • (2008). ‘Reconceptualizing Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes as Burdening LGBT Expression and Association’, Journal of Hate Studies, 6: 81-115.


Book Reviews

  • (2011). 'Hate Crime: Concepts, Policy, Future Directions’, Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 50(3): 339-40.

Presentations / Conferences / Symposia

  • 'Queering Criminology', American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Washington DC, Nov. 16, 2011.

  • 'Policing Hatred: A Case Study of an English Police Force', Second International Hate Studies Conference, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, Apr. 7, 2011.

  • 'A Decade After Decriminalization: What Can the United States Learn from the Portuguese Model?', Life After the War On Drugs Symposium, University of the District of Columbia Law School, Washington DC, Mar. 24, 2011.

  • "Meeting the Needs of Hate Crime Victims Through Third Party Reporting", Victim Support Scotland Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, Oct. 7, 2010.

  • "The Internet’s Promise to Improve Hate Crime Reporting", Lunchtime Graduate Seminar Series, King’s College, University of Cambridge, Jan. 22, 2010.

  • "A Racial Critique of RICO’s Application to Criminal Street Gangs", Third Annual Critical Race Studies Symposium: Race in Colorblind Spaces, UCLA School of Law, Mar. 6, 2009.


Dissertation

Supervisors
Michael Rice and Loraine Gelsthorpe