Bio

TYRELL CONNOR received his B.A. in psychology from Hampton University and his Ph.D. in sociology (2015) from Purdue University. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at State University of New York – New Paltz, where he is Director of the department’s Criminology Concentration. Tyrell’s research investigates the influence of race within community court programming, and how it may influence program outcomes among participants of color. He was recently selected by the SUNY-New Paltz President to serve on the university’s inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Council. Outside of the academy, Tyrell remains actively involved with the local community. He runs a bi-weekly group in Newark, NJ with college-age formerly incarcerated men, and volunteers his time to teach sociology to young adults who dropped out of high school and are affiliated with JerseyCares ServiceWorks in Newark. The paper Tyrell worked on during the Summer Research Institute is entitled, “Legitimation in Action: An Examination of Community Courts and Procedural Justice.” SRI Mentor: Jacinta Gau (University of Central Florida); SRI Reviewer: Leslie Paik (City College of New York); RDCJN Peer Mentor: Reuben Miller (University of Michigan).