Gabriela Kirk-Werner

Assistant Professor, Sociology Department

Senior Research Associate, Center for Policy Research

Courses

2024 Fall
- SOC 200 Selected Topics - Sociology of Law
- SOC 495 Senior Thesis
2024 Spring
- SOC 334 Criminal Justice
- SOC/WGS 319/317 Qualitative Methods in Sociology
2023 Fall
- SOC 334 Criminal Justice

Highest degree earned

Ph.D., Northwestern University, 2022

Bio

Gabriela Kirk-Werner (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor in sociology and a senior research associate in the Center for Policy Research. Her research examines the role of electronic monitoring in local criminal justice reform efforts and the connections between private industry, policy processes and the criminal legal system.

Kirk-Werner's peer-reviewed publications include “The Limits of Expectations and the Minimization of Collateral Consequences: Experiences of Electronic Home Monitoring” in Social Problems, “Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Justice System” in American Journal of Sociology, and other articles in Sociological Forum, Sociological Perspectives, Punishment & Society and RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.

Kirk-Werner's research has been supported by the Social Sciences Research Council and the American Society of Criminology’s Ruth Peterson Fellowship for Racial and Ethnic Diversity. She also received a Graduate Student Paper award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems.

Kirk-Werner received a Ph.D. in sociology at Northwestern University in 2022. She earned a M.A. in sociology from Northwestern University in 2018 and a B.A. (with distinction) in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014.

Research Grant Awards and Projects

"Reform and Inequality: An Examination of Alternatives to Punishment in New York State", Sponsored by Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

"Alternatives to Punishment and Social Inequality", Sponsored by Russell Sage Foundation.

"A National Survey of Pay-to-Stay Recoupment: Mapping Variation in the Use of Civil Lawsuits, Fiscal Incentives, and Collateral Consequences", Sponsored by Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

"National Survey of Pay-to-Stay Practices", Sponsored by Institute for Humane Studies.

""Alternatives" to Punishment and Social Inequality", Sponsored by Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles
- Kirk, G., "Pains of Privacy: Mapping Carceral Practices onto Electronic Monitoring." Theoretical Criminology, 2024.
- Kirk, G., Garrity, K., Huebner, B., Uggen, C. and Shannon, S., "Justice by Geography: The Role of Monetary Sanctions Across Communities." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2022.
- Martin, K. D., Spencer-Suarez, K. and Kirk, G., "Pay or Display: Monetary Sanctions and the Performance of Accountability and Procedural Integrity in New York and Illinois." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences , 2022.
- Fernandes, A. D., Friedman, B. and Kirk, G., "The ‘Damaged’ State vs. the ‘Willful’ Nonpayer: Constructing Damage, Harm, and Willfulness through Pay-to-Stay Lawsuits." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2022.
- Kirk, G., Eife, E., "And you will wait…’: Carceral Transportation in Electronic Monitoring as Part of the Punishment Process." Punishment and Society , 2021.
- Pattillo, M., Kirk, G., "Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Justice System." American Journal of Sociology, 2021.
- Friedman, B., Fernandes, A. D. and Kirk, G., "Like if you get a hotel bill’: Consumer Logic, Pay-to-Stay and the Production of Incarceration as a Public Commodity." Sociological Forum , 2021.
- Kirk, G., "The Limits of Expectations and the Minimization of Collateral Consequences: Experiences of Electronic Home Monitoring." Social Problems , 2021.
- Kirk, G., Cadigan, M., "On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity." RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 2020.
- Pattillo, M., Kirk, G., "Pay Unto Caesar: Breaches of Justice in the Monetary Sanctions Regime." UCLA Criminal Justice Law Review, 2020.
- Kirk, G., Fernandes, A. D. and Friedman, B., "Who Pays for the Welfare State? Austerity Politics and the Origin of Pay-to-Stay Fees as Revenue Generation." Sociological Perspectives, 2020.
Book Chapters
- Friedman, B., Fernandes, A. D. and Kirk-Werner, G., "Economies of Violence: Pay-to-Stay, Rent Seeking, and the Value of Incarcerated Bodies." In Consuming Bodies: Body Commodification in Late Capitalist Societies. Whetstone, S., Hogan, J. (eds.) Routledge, 2024.
- Kirk-Werner, G. M., Fernandes, A. D. and Friedman, B., "Introduction to special issue on dismantling the shadow carceral state." Kirk-Werner, G. M., Friedman, B. and Fernandes, A. D. (eds.) Theoretical Criminology, 2024.
Book Review
- Kirk, G., Review of James Gacek’s Portable Prisons. Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, Rutgers University, 2022.
Congressional Testimonies
- Fernandes, A. D., Friedman, B. and Kirk, G., Pay-to-Stay and Socioeconomic Inequality. , 2021.
- Fernandes, A. D., Friedman, B. and Kirk, G., Pay-to-Stay and Socioeconomic Inequality in Connecticut. , 2021.
Essays
- Kirk-Werner, G. M., Fernandes, A. D. and Friedman, B., "Pay-to-Stay as Stategraft." Wisconsin Law Review Forward, 2024.
- Kirk, G., Boches, D. J., Cadigan , M. and Smith , T., "What are you here for?” Graduate Student Positionality in Qualitative Research." The Criminologist, 2019.
Expert Declaration
- Kirk-Werner, G. M., Fernandes, A. D., "Expert Declaration of April Fernandes, PhD and Gabriela Kirk-Werner, PhD." In ETICIA ROBERTS and CALVIN SAYERS, on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated; Plaintiffs, v. SHERIFF TONY THOMPSON, in his official capacity; BLACK HAWK COUNTY . , 2024.
Newspaper Article
- Fernandes , A. D., Friedman, B. and Kirk, G., "Forcing people to pay for being locked up remains common." The Washington Post, 2022.
Technical Reports
- Patrice, J., Kilgore, J., Kirk, G., Mueller, G., Sanders, E., Staudt, S. and Jackson WIlson, L., Cages Without Bars: Pretrial Electronic Monitoring Across the United States. Shriver Center on Poverty Law, 2022.
- Kirk, G., Electronic Monitoring Review Cook County, Illinois Final Report. Chicago Appleseed: Center for Fair Courts, 2022.

Presentations and Events

Pipeline Grantee Meeting, Russell Sage Foundation, "Therapeutic Alternatives and Economic Inequality" (June, 2024)

SUPA Sociology Training, SUPA, "Electronic Monitoring Technologies and Mass Incarceration" (December, 2023)

American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, American Society of Criminology, "Flavors of Reform: Electronic Monitoring Policies and Current Reform Movements" (November, 2023)

Arnold Ventures RDCJN Kick-Off, Arnold Ventures, "Reform and Inequality: An Examination of “Alternatives to Punishment” in New York State" (September, 2023)

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, American Sociological Association, "Pains of Privacy: Mapping Carceral Practices onto Electronic Monitoring" (August, 2023)

Research Committee on Sociology of Law Annual Meeting, International Association of Sociology, "Safety through Knowing: Electronic Monitoring as a Legibility Project" (August, 2023)

Fernandes, A. D., Kirk-Werner, G. M., Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Law and Society Association, "Civil Lawfare" (June, 2023)

Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, "Criminal Justice and Technology: Law and It's Limitations" (June, 2023)

Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, "Safety through Knowing: Electronic Monitoring as a Legibility Project" (June, 2023)

Berkeley Summer Institute on the New Political Economy, Hewlett Foundation, "The Political Economy of Punishment" (June, 2023)

Center for Policy Research Speaker Series, Center for Policy Research, "Reforming the Shadow Carceral State: the Repeal of Prison Pay-to-Stay Laws in Illinois" (March, 2023)

Fernandes, A., Friedman, B., Kirk, G., American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, "Adding Insult to Injury: Suing Prisoners with Disabilities for Incarceration Costs" (August, 2022)

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, "Local LFOs, Prisons, and Captive Defendants" (August, 2022)

Fernandes, A., Friedman, B., Kirk, G., RDCJN, "Adding Insult to Injury: Suing Prisoners with Disabilities for Incarceration Costs" (July, 2022)

Law and Society Association, "Creating Supervised Subjects: How Stakeholders Create a Need for Electronic Monitoring Technologies" (July, 2022)

RDCJN, "Creating Supervised Subjects: How Stakeholders Create a Need for Electronic Monitoring Technologies" (July, 2022)

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Virtual, "Layaway Freedom: Coercive Financialization in the Criminal Justice System" (August, 2021)

Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Virtual., "Who Pays for the Welfare State? Austerity Politics and the Origin of Pay-to-Stay Fees as Revenue Generation" (May, 2021)

American Society of Criminologists Annual Meeting, *Cancelled COVID-19, "Economic Injustice: Multi-State Studies of Legal and Financial Obligations" (November, 2020)

American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Virtual., "“And you will wait …”: Carceral Transportation in Electronic Monitoring as Part of the Punishment Process" (August, 2020)

Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Virtual., "On Thin Ice: Bureaucratic Processes of Monetary Sanctions and Job Insecurity" (May, 2020)

Kirk-Werner, G. M., Stitt, M., Udas, C., American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, American Society of Criminology, "Alternative Sanctions and Economic Inequality" (November, 2024)

Stitt, M., Kirk-Werner, G. M., American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, American Sociological Association, "The New Face of Criminal Justice: “Alternatives” and the Privatization of Punishment" (August, 2024)