UB Sociology and Criminology in the News

  • Students take on justice reform in new criminology design challenge
    11/19/25
    UB students reimagine justice in the Innovate for Impact Criminology Design Challenge, a first-of-its-kind competition uniting creativity, compassion and criminology to tackle real-world issues in public safety and reform. From youth mentorship to restorative justice, the top teams turned bold ideas into actionable solutions for their communities.
  • Study: It’s not just chronic pain. It’s how many places it hurts that may affect the brain
    11/10/25

    Findings suggest that pain experienced in more than one site is strongly associated with a faster decline later in life in areas such as memory, reasoning and attention tasks.

  • Study: State social policies reduce joint pain prevalence
    10/24/25

    More benefits and easier access to care mean fewer people living in pain, researcher says.

  • David Geffen’s divorce gives new meaning to an old term
    7/31/25

    The New York Times interviewed Srushti Upadhyay, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, about hypergamy – the act of marrying someone with more financial resources.

  • New book by UB researcher turns urban sociology on its head
    6/25/25

    Disheartened by what he saw yet encouraged by the possibilities of sharing a new perspective, Gottdiener started down a path to shift the ideological focus of urbanism away from its historically singular focus on large cites.

  • Four first-gen students share stories of triumph following commencement
    5/23/25

    About one-third of undergraduates at the University at Buffalo are the first in their family to attend college. They radiate determination and ambition, and they inspire others to pursue higher education as a path toward upward mobility. 

  • New theory suggests 'emotional invalidation’ can be a precursor to crime
    5/14/25

    Criminologist Christopher Dennison builds upon General Strain Theory, with implications for crime reduction.

  • Study: Families confront roles and responsibilities of rural jail incarceration
    5/6/25

    Although families have no official place in the criminal justice system, they create and take on substantial support roles for incarcerated people both during and after the incarceration.

  • Women warriors rising
    4/22/25

    The USA Today special edition “Year in Defense” interviewed Brenda Moore about how female warfighters are thriving a decade after the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women in combat. 

  • UB to present panel on prison writing
    3/31/25

    The panel discussion, featuring local authors, guest scholars and UB faculty members, is part of a series of events that also includes a month-long book exhibit featuring incarcerated authors.

  • Simulation shows difficulties of return to society after release from jail
    3/10/25

    Organizers say the exercise was designed to not only raise awareness but foster empathy and action.

  • A novel framework for developing environmental policy
    2/26/25

    UB sociologist Jordan Fox is part of a team that has developed a more flexible approach for addressing environmental change in urban areas.

  • Media Advisory: UB to host a simulation demonstrating the challenges faced by people released from prison
    2/26/25

    People re-entering society following their release from prison face several obstacles, including finding housing, transportation and employment, organizers explain.

  • UB sociology student named finalist for SUNY Distinguished PhD Graduate Dissertation Awards
    1/29/25

    As a finalist, UB's Jiaying Lin will receive $1,000 for her dissertation titled "Understanding the Impact of the First Anti-Domestic Violence Law in China."

  • Pain drives rising disability rates among middle-aged and older adults
    12/4/24

    From 2002-18, the number of Americans attributing their disability to chronic pain increased by nearly 10 million people, according to UB study.

  • UB hosts latest class of VITAL scholars
    10/15/24

    The scholars are on campus this week, and UB hopes some will join the next generation of faculty at the university.

  • UB welcomes SUNY PRODiG+ fellows
    10/4/24

    Four fellows from the SUNY initiative for increasing faculty diversity have arrived at UB for the fall semester.

  • Study: Stigma legitimizes unpaid labor as therapy, even for those doing the work
    10/2/24

    Rehab workers in the study who engaged in broad stigmatizing tropes about addiction were more likely to believe the “work therapy” — as it’s called by the Salvation Army — was beneficial.

  • Balancing act: UB study links gentrification to reduced crime, but downsides of gentrification can’t be ignored
    8/28/24

    Study’s authors caution that gentrification is often accompanied by multiple effects, and the wide-ranging impact of the process demands carefully measured thought ahead of any direct action.

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