Dr. María Vélez has been honored with the Julius Debro Award from the Division on People of Color and Crime (DPCC) of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). This award recognizes scholars whose work advances the DPCC’s mission to address the concerns and experiences of people of color in the study of crime, justice, and the criminal legal system. It also highlights those who promote equity, elevate the voices of people of color within criminology, and deepen understanding of how race, crime, and justice intersect.

The Julius Debro Award honors individuals whose research has made a lasting impact on the study of race, crime, and justice, fostering greater insight into the ways legal and carceral systems affect communities of color.

Dr. María Vélez’s research focuses on understanding how stratification along racial, ethnic, political, and economic lines shapes and is shaped by the uneven distribution of crime and justice outcomes. Her work centers on several key themes, including the influence of political conditions on crime patterns across neighborhoods, the dynamic nature of crime, and the consequences of mass incarceration and other forms of criminal justice contact for minority political behavior and the health of democracy in the United States.