Research

Domestic Violence Decision-Making at First Appearance

Current quantitative study · Orange County, Florida

I study misdemeanor domestic violence cases heard at first appearance in Orange County, Florida, using arrest affidavits, first-appearance minutes, and court dockets. The project examines how case characteristics, victim testimony, arrest-affidavit information, defendant characteristics, and judge variation relate to bond and non-contact conditions.

I designed and implemented the study. The current work includes manuscript preparation and a scheduled presentation at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in November 2026.

Hope Card Laws and Regulations Across the United States

Current collaborative project · Knight Research Scholars Program

Hope Cards give survivors a portable way to document protections contained in a court-issued protection order. This project compares the statutes, regulations, and implementation materials that govern Hope Card programs across the United States.

I lead an undergraduate research team completing legal research, coding, validation, literature review, and manuscript development. The project is moving from final data collection and validation into analysis and writing.

Judicial Discretion and No-Contact Orders

Current qualitative study · Florida

This qualitative study examines how judges understand and exercise discretion when deciding whether to impose no-contact orders in intimate partner violence cases.

Using semi-structured interviews with judges who have first-appearance experience in Florida, I examine how they describe weighing victim safety, defendant due process, risk, liability, victim autonomy, courtroom norms, and the practical constraints surrounding these decisions.

I designed the study and am conducting semi-structured interviews as the project moves toward qualitative coding and analysis.

Past research