She received her law degree from Hastings Law School in 1986 and her Ph.D. in criminology at UMCP. Her teaching, research, and writing has been in the areas of criminal law, sociology of law, and race and crime. She has held teaching positions at American University School of Law, CUNY Law School, Howard University and Alabama State University. She is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.