Michelle S Phelps

Michelle S Phelps is Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and affiliated with the Minnesota Population Center. Her research focuses on criminal justice systems, particularly probation, community supervision, and mass incarceration. She has published extensively on policing, racial justice, and legal estrangement, with particular attention to the Minneapolis context.

Her research interests center on the intersection of criminal justice, race, and social inequality. Dr. Phelps examines how probation and community supervision function as extensions of the carceral state, impacting families and communities. She investigates racial disparities in policing and the criminal justice system, with recent work focusing on the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis. Her scholarship combines theoretical analysis with empirical research to understand how legal institutions shape social life.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on probation systems as key mechanisms of social control, the relationship between community supervision and mass incarceration, and the racial dynamics of policing in American cities. Her work increasingly addresses transnational perspectives on justice in law enforcement and the health impacts of criminal justice involvement.

• Institute for Advanced Study Faculty Fellows, Spring 2022

Dr. Phelps is actively involved in significant research projects including 'Just Policing: Transnational Perspectives On the Definition and Possibility of Justice in Law Enforcement' funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (2023-2025), and 'Identifying and Addressing Disparities in the Criminal Justice and Health Care Systems' which examines the intersection of criminal justice and healthcare in Minnesota. Her community engagement includes numerous presentations on police reform and legal estrangement during the Black Lives Matter era.