He is currently conducting research on the use of private prisons in the United States and has previously written on topics including felon voting rights policies, labor market consequences of felony convictions, and policing. His work has been published in Law & Social Inquiry, Race and Justice, Criminal Justice Policy Review, and Sociological Focus, among others. He teaches courses on law and society, crime policy, criminology, and research methods. He holds a B.A. in sociology from Linfield College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an active member of the American Sociological Association, the Law & Society Association, and the American Society of Criminology.