Kayla Martensen

Kayla Martensen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at The University of New Mexico. Holding a PhD in Criminology, Law and Justice from the University of Illinois-Chicago (2024), her work critically examines intersections of state violence, structural inequities, and carceral systems through an abolition feminist lens.

• Education: Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Justice, University of Illinois-Chicago (2024)

Her research focuses on:

• Carceral Reform
• Abolition Feminism
• Youth Justice
• Punishment and Law and Society

Recent publications analyze how community-based juvenile justice reforms perpetuate carceral logic through therapeutic-legal interventions, while awards include the Beth E. Richie Justice Advocacy Award (2024) and Feminist Criminology Graduate Research Scholarship (2020). She employs qualitative methods grounded in abolition feminist thought to develop transformative justice practices.

Scientific Awards

• Beth E. Richie Justice Advocacy Award (2024), University of Illinois Chicago
• Feminist Criminology Graduate Research Scholarship (2020), Division of Feminist Criminology, American Society of Criminology
• Institute of Race and Public Policy Emerging Scholars Program (2019), University of Illinois Chicago