Victor Rios

Victor Rios is Professor of Sociology at UC Santa Barbara, analyzing how social control and education impact marginalized youth. His award-winning research examines criminalization in schools and policing.

Key contributions:

• Developed 'human targets' theory of Latino youth criminalization
• Documented resilience strategies in high-crime communities
• Created intervention programs for justice-involved youth

Books include Punished (Oliver Cromwell Cox Award) and Human Targets. His TED Talk has 1.3M+ views. He received ASA's Public Understanding of Sociology Award and chairs the Latina/o Sociology Section.

Teaches courses on restorative justice, educational equity, and urban ethnography.