Her research addresses racial and ethnic stereotypes, the sociology of social control, school discipline, criminological theory, and social justice. Dr. Welch has published a number of articles about public support for social control that result from racial and ethnic criminal stereotypes that have appeared in journals such as Criminology, Social Problems, Social Science Research, and Youth & Society. She has also served as an expert witness and litigative consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice. Her doctorate and master’s degrees are in Criminology from Florida State University and her bachelor’s degree is in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine.