Kayla Preito-Hodge

Dr. Kayla Preito-Hodge is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Camden. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her dissertation, “Too Black for the Blue’s” was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Dr. Preito-Hodge’s research and teaching explore the intersections of race, policing, organizations, and the larger criminal justice system. Her work has been featured in journals such as Social Currents, Socius, and Psychology of Violence. Additionally, her work has been supported by various internal and external funders. Dr. PH is currently working on a book manuscript that critically examines Black police officers in the era of the Movement for Black Lives. Dr. Preito-Hodge also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Boston College. She is an avid supporter of criminal justice and juvenile justice reform.

Publications:

• Kayla Preito-Hodge. (2023). Behind the badge and the veil: Black police officers in the era of Black Lives Matter. Psychology of Violence. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000462

• Kayla Preito-Hodge., & Tomaskovic-Devey, D. (2021). A Tale of Force: Examining policy proposals to address police violence. Social Currents, 8(5), 403-423. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294965211017903

• Roscigno, V. J., & Kayla Preito-Hodge. (2021). Racist cops, vested “blue” interests, or both? Evidence from four decades of the general social survey. Socius: sociological research for a dynamic world, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120980913

Media Appearances/Speaking Engagements:

• Invited Presenter, 125 Years of The Philadelphia Negro: Urban Sociology After DuBois, American Sociological Association (2023)

• 2023, Podcast Interview. “Black Cops-the balance of blue culture and Black lives matter” Voice America https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/142735/black-cops-the-balance-of-blue-culture-and-black-lives-matter

• Presenter, "The Philadelphia Negro 125 years later:" American Society of Criminology (2023)

Previous Organizations: 

• Center for Urban Research and Education

Accomplishments:

• Chancellor’s Assistant Professor Research Grant

• Princeton University Press Supporting Diverse Voices Proposal Development Grant

• Arnold Ventures Grant for "Prison Identification Project"

Upcoming Projects:

• Prison Identification Project

• The Police Funding Debate: Examining policy proposal

• Stop Snitching: Examining youth perceptions and behaviors on social media in the age of digital surveillance

Concerns of social and racial justice are central to my work on policing. I utilize various racialized and organizational theories to critically examine, unpack, and challenge systemic inequities in policing. Through the lens of Black officers, I explore the ways race, identity, and organizational expectations intersect within law enforcement, highlighting the difficulty of implementing and sustaining organizational and social change as it relates to demographic diversity in policing. Additionally, my work explores how police funding contributes to police outcomes (i.e., crime, violence). Other projects critically examine how state policies and practices, as related to vital documents access for prisoner release, supports prisoner reentry. Through innovative frameworks and data-driven analyses, my research aims to inform equitable public safety practices and amplify marginalized voices within the criminal legal system.