Dean’s Lecture Series
On April 20, 2026, the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice will host the second installment of the Dean’s Lecture Series featuring criminologist, researcher, author, and scholar TaLisa Carter, PhD.
Beyond Bad Apples: Rethinking Accountability in Corrections
Join Dr. Carter as she discusses her book, Corrections at Work: A Call for Institutional Accountability. Drawing on extensive research and her experience working inside the correctional system, Dr. Carter examines how institutions respond to employee misconduct and why accountability is often shaped by power, discretion, and organizational culture. This conversation highlights the real consequences of disciplinary practices and offers practical pathways for building more transparent, ethical, and effective correctional institutions. You’re invited to engage with her as we rethink justice, leadership, and reform inside America’s jails and prisons.
The event, free and open to the public, will be held at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, 123 Washington Street, Newark NJ 07102 in Room 567.
TaLisa J. Carter, PhD is an Associate Professor of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University’s School of Public Affairs. A former correctional officer turned scholar, Dr. Carter’s work sits at the intersection of corrections, race, organizational accountability, and institutional responses to employee behavior. Her research is grounded in both lived experience and rigorous mixed-methods scholarship, drawing on surveys, administrative records, interviews, and ethnographic observation.
Dr. Carter is the author of Corrections at Work: A Call for Institutional Accountability (NYU Press), which introduces the Institutional Response Model of Social Control—a framework for understanding how correctional institutions reward and punish employees based on employee demographics, occupational characteristics, and the perceived severity of behavior. Her work challenges dominant narratives that reduce misconduct to individual “bad actors,” instead emphasizing the role of organizational culture, structure, and power.
Her scholarship has been supported by federal and foundation funding and published in leading criminology and criminal justice outlets. She is also an affiliate with the Urban Institute, where her work contributes to policy-relevant research on corrections, accountability, and justice system reform. In addition to her research, Dr. Carter is deeply committed to teaching and mentorship, regularly working with undergraduate and graduate students on research, professional development, and pathways into justice-related careers.
Beyond academia, Dr. Carter is the founder of Towards Just Change, a consulting practice focused on research translation, training, and equity-centered organizational change for justice-involved agencies and nonprofits. She is a frequent speaker, advisor, and public commentator on issues related to corrections, accountability, and race.