Terressa Benz

Terressa Benz is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Oakland University's Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice. Her research focuses on critical criminology, firearm policies, environmental racism, and urban sociology. She holds a Ph.D. in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Benz's work examines marginalized populations' exclusion through policing, the impact of concealed firearms on campuses, and environmental injustices like the Flint water crisis. She also studies deviant heroes and the intersection of race with firearm ownership and criminal justice treatment.

Education:

• Ph.D., Criminology, Law & Society, University of California, Irvine
• M.A., Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine

Research Interests: Dr. Benz explores urban sociology, ethnographic methods, and criminological theory. Her recent projects address racialized environmental crises, firearm policy debates, and the sociological dimensions of self-defense laws. She has conducted fieldwork on marginalized communities and urban decay dynamics.

Publications Overview: Her scholarship spans topics from campus firearm policies to the Flint water crisis, highlighting systemic inequities. Key themes include neoliberalism's impact on urban environments, racial disparities in legal systems, and the cultural representation of postindustrial cities.