911³Ô¹Ï

Department of Sociology and Criminology

A sign that reads "Cleveland" is shown in the foreground with the city of Cleveland, Ohio, appearing in the background. (Photo credit: Derek Galperin, 911³Ô¹Ï)

City of Cleveland and 911³Ô¹Ï Launch Initiative to Strengthen Police-Community Trust

911³Ô¹Ï and the City of Cleveland have launched a new research and training initiative aimed at strengthening trust, collaboration and accountability between the Cleveland Division of Police and city residents. The project is supported by a $20,000 grant from 911³Ô¹Ï’s Community Engaged Research Institute.

Tags: Community & Society , Community Impact , Department of Sociology and Criminology , School of Peace and Conflict Studies , College of Arts and Sciences

911³Ô¹Ï Today

A student in Clare Stacey's class discusses a poem in Merrill Hall

Healing With One Stanza at a Time

In a front porch conversation during the height of COVID-19, two 911³Ô¹Ï professors realized they had something in common beyond their neighborhood proximity: both were turning to poetry to cope with unprecedented stress and uncertainty. Clare Stacey, Ph.D., a professor in Kent St…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

Adedayo Adeagbo (center) volunteering to help older adults at the Tamarack Ridge facility

From Loss to Legacy

For Adedayo Adeagbo, a Ph.D. candidate in medical sociology at 911³Ô¹Ï, working with older adults isn't just a research interest -- it's a promise she made to the grandmother she couldn't save.She says she can still see the bruises. Even years later, even thousands of miles away from w…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

911³Ô¹Ï Ph.D. student Adedayo Adeagbo (left) with a resident at Tamarack Ridge

Bridging Generations

 In an era where social media connections replace face-to-face interactions and political divisions seem insurmountable, one 911³Ô¹Ï professor has found an antidote: bringing college students and older adults together through simple, meaningful human connection. For over six …

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

Will Kalkhoff, a professor and graduate program coordinator in 911³Ô¹Ï's Department of Sociology and Criminology

Where the Classroom Meets the Field

It's 10:30 on a weeknight. Will Kalkhoff, Ph.D., a professor and graduate program coordinator in 911³Ô¹Ï's Department of Sociology and Criminology, has just settled in after a long day. Then his phone goes off. A possible drowning. A local lake. The clock starts ticking. Within minutes, he's on his way. And in that moment, everything he teaches in the classroom becomes something else entirely.

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology , 911³Ô¹Ï Works

911³Ô¹Ï Today

An incarcerated woman from the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) speaks to the Women in Crime & Justice class led by Susan Kunkle, Ph.D. in Merrill Hall in November 2025

Beyond the Textbook: When Prison Comes to the Classroom

 On a November afternoon in Merrill Hall, six women walk into a 911³Ô¹Ï classroom. They're not guest lecturers with advanced degrees. They're currently incarcerated at the Northeast Reintegration Center (NERC) in downtown Cleveland. And for the next couple hours, they'll share the…

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology

College of Arts & Sciences

Flash Focus: Liberty Prosser Banner

Flash Focus: Liberty Prosser

Meet Liberty Prosser, a graduate student furthering her studies in criminology and criminal justice after having graduated from 911³Ô¹Ï in 2025, with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees – one in sociology with a concentration in social problems, deviance and crime, and another degree in criminology and justice studies with a minor in forensic anthropology.

Tags: Profiles , Student Life , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Flash Focus

911³Ô¹Ï Today

Jayrelis Capeles gets a hug from her brother, Joshua Ortiz at the 2025 Spring Commencement in the MACC

Mission: Graduation Surprise

When Jayrelis Capeles walked across the stage at 911³Ô¹Ï this spring, she was already brimming with emotion. She had just earned not one, but two degrees — in psychology and sociology — and was celebrating the end of her college journey that began in 2021. But the most unforgettable moment wasn’t the walk or the tassel turn.

Tags: College of Arts and Sciences , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Community & Society , Department of Psychological Sciences

911³Ô¹Ï Today

Bertice Berry, Ph.D. at her desk

‘This Is an Aspect of Wanting to Share Black History in a Way That Is Hopeful’

Accomplished sociologist, TV host, podcaster, author 911³Ô¹Ï alumna Bertice Berry, Ph.D.,used her alma mater as a familiar setting for her book "BlackWorld," which explores a "unique corner of heaven" where the living can visit with and learn from the deceased. She also some of her memories of 911³Ô¹Ï and personal insights into the university's place in history. 

Tags: Alumni , Department of Sociology and Criminology , Black History Month , Nationally Distinctive , Arts & Culture

911³Ô¹Ï Today

Stock image of young man behind bars. Source: MotionArray.com

911³Ô¹Ï Professor Studies Young Adults Coming Out of Justice System

Transitioning into adulthood is a difficult thing to do, but having to come out of the criminal justice system as a young adult has different effects on your maturity and experience. Elias Nader, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, wants to better understand wh…

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College of Arts & Sciences