Tucker Reyes

Tucker Reyes.

Research Interests: Criminology; Law and Society; Economic Sociology

Education:
MA, Sociology and Education, 2022, Teachers College, Columbia University
BA, Law and Society, 2020, Purdue University
BS, Financial Counseling and Planning, 2018, Purdue University

Bio: Tucker Reyes is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University at Buffalo. His research focuses on law and culture and how their intersection shapes inequality in the criminal and civil legal systems. His dissertation uses mixed methods to study subprime auto lending, examining consumer experiences, legal rights, dispute resolution and the conditions within the market that can contribute to criminal behavior.

Recent Courses Taught:

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
  • SOC 294: Basic Statistics for the Social Sciences
  • SOC 307: Criminology
  • SOC 317: Criminal Justice Systems

Publications:

  • Barr, Ashley B., Mary Nell Trautner and Tucker Reyes. 2026. “Race, Gender, and Juvenile Determinism: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Punishment Attitudes Toward Juvenile Offenders.” Race and Justice 16(3): 756-781. https://doi.org/10.1177/21533687251341270
  • Finkeldey, Jessica G., Christopher R. Dennison, Nicholas Tucker Reyes, Abigayle DiRusso and Mercedes Brown. 2025. “Contact with and Perceptions of Campus Police Among College Students at a Small-Town University.” Criminal Justice Review 50(3): 289-310. https://doi.org/10.1177/07340168241240450
  • Reyes, Nicholas Tucker and Spencer Headworth. 2024. “Credit Cars: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Auto Loans.” Law and Social Inquiry 49(4): 2184-2212. https://doi.org/10.1017/lsi.2024.2
  • Headworth, Spencer and Nicholas Tucker Reyes. 2021. “Welfare Fraud.” The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosw008.pub2

Conference Presentations:

  • “Beyond Rationality: Relational Trust and Inclusion in Subprime Auto Lending.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 2026.
  • “Where’s ‘Here’ for Buy Here, Pay Here? Race, Ethnicity, and the Geography of Predatory Auto Lending.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2025.
  • “‘No Toxic Tunnel’: Legal Mobilization and Growth Politics in Buffalo, NY’s Kensington Highway Project.” Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2025.
  • “Why the Have-Nots Come Out Behind: Status, Stigma, and Inequality in the ‘Litigation Lottery.’” Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2025.
  • “Once in Debt, Always Indebted? Examining the Impact of Student Loans on the Transition to Adulthood.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, 2024.
  • “Race and Childhood Determinism: A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Punishment Attitudes Towards Juvenile Offenders.” Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 2024.
  • “Intra-generational Mobility and Changes in Substance Use: Objective Mobility, Subjective Mobility, or Both?” American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 2023.
  • “Credentialism and Debt in Workforce Development: Examining the Historical Influence of Law, Policy, and Market Deregulation on Workforce Education in the U.S.” Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2023.
  • “Collateral Damage: Law and the Advent of Automobile Loans.” Global Meeting on Law and Society, Lisbon, Portugal, 2022.
  • “Automobility on Installments or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Car Loans.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, 2022.

Email: ntreyes@buffalo.edu

CV: Tucker Reyes' CV