Kate K. O'Neill

Kate K. O'Neill is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She holds a PhD from the University of Washington and an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her work bridges academic research and public policy, focusing on systemic inequalities in the criminal legal system.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of Washington, 2021
• MA in Sociology, University of Washington, 2016
• MSc in Sociology of Crime, Control, and Globalization, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2010
• BA, Ohio University, 2008

Her research centers on criminology, gender, race, and inequality, particularly how monetary sanctions and gang dynamics reproduce social disparities. Drawing from feminist and critical criminological frameworks, she investigates adolescent delinquency, peer group composition, and the stigmatization of marginalized communities. Her methodological approach is primarily quantitative, using self-report, administrative, and social media data.

The most recent articles reflect a strong focus on monetary sanctions and their community-level consequences, gender disparities in incarceration, and the role of empathy and peer groups in juvenile offending. Her work increasingly integrates digital ethnography, particularly in analyzing online gang cultures.

Scientific Awards and Recognition:

• Award-winning research (specific award names not listed in text)
• Work featured in Seattle Times and cited by lawmakers and activists in criminal justice reform efforts

Kate has been actively involved in teaching innovation, publishing syllabi and pedagogical strategies through the American Sociological Association’s TRAILS library. She has taught courses on feminist criminology, gangs, race and ethnicity, and gender. She previously worked as a teacher, anger management facilitator, and re-entry specialist, experiences that deeply inform her research and teaching. She is currently leading major research projects on the burden of monetary sanctions and digital gang identities, collaborating with scholars from multiple institutions including the University of Washington, University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, and the University of Georgia.

Labs and Research Teams:

• Collective to Study the Broad Reach and Burden of Monetary Sanctions (University of Washington)
• Digital Streets Research Group (affiliated with gang and social media research)