Holly Nguyen

Holly Nguyen is an Associate Professor of Sociology, Criminology, and Public Policy at The Pennsylvania State University, and Associate Director of the Criminal Justice Research Center. She holds a dual affiliation with the School of Public Policy and the Department of Criminology and Sociology. Her research focuses on employment-crime relationships, illicit drug markets, and criminological theory, emphasizing the 'crime as work' framework. Current projects include analyzing prison life courses using Pennsylvania corrections data and exploring the intersections between legal/informal employment and criminal behavior.

Nguyen’s work bridges criminology with socio-economic analysis, examining factors like monetary returns from crime, criminal capital, and policy impacts. Her research has been published in top journals such as Justice Quarterly, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Criminology & Public Policy. She has contributed to understanding prison policies, drug market dynamics, and the role of economic conditions in criminal decision-making.

Her articles consistently address themes of crime as an economic choice, the influence of labor markets on offending, and the effectiveness of correctional programs. Nguyen’s interdisciplinary approach integrates behavioral economics, sociology, and penology to inform evidence-based policy.

Nguyen leads the Criminology Undergraduate Program and actively participates in the Criminal Justice Research Center, fostering collaborations on projects like prison drug testing efficacy and vocational rehabilitation strategies. She has advised numerous research initiatives but no formal student advisees are listed.