Rate My Professor Valerie Wright

Valerie Wright serves as Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Sociology within the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Public Affairs and Education at Cleveland State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from The Ohio State University, earned in 2009, and joined the faculty at Cleveland State University in 2012, advancing to associate professor and department chair. With a diverse professional background that includes research, policy evaluation, advocacy, teaching, and hands-on work in corrections with both adult and juvenile offenders, Wright brings practical insights to her academic role.

Her research focuses on race and gender disparities in the criminal justice system, sentencing policy, the effects of mass incarceration, media exposure and racialized perceptions of criminal justice inequities, depictions of youth homicide victims in news media, and the deterrent effects of capital punishment. Utilizing quantitative methods, her studies explore factors influencing media coverage of violent crimes and public views on justice system fairness. Key publications include her book Could Quicker Executions Deter Homicides? The Relationship between Celerity, Incapacitation, and Deterrence (Carolina Academic Press, 2013), which examines the impact of execution speed on homicide deterrence. Prominent articles are 'Media Exposure and Racialized Perceptions of Inequities in Criminal Justice' (Social Sciences, 2017), 'The Blame Game: News, Blame, and Young Homicide Victims' (Sociological Inquiry, 2018), and 'Pushers: The Effect of Incarceration on Earnings from Drug Trafficking' (Justice Policy Journal, 2015). She has also authored chapters such as 'Divided by Race: Differences in the Perception of Injustice' and 'Read between the Lines: What Determines Media Coverage of Youth Homicide?' (2020). Wright teaches undergraduate courses in criminology, juvenile delinquency, and criminal justice. She contributes to university service through roles on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and Faculty Senate committees, and participates in public panels like the Sankofa Screening and Discussion.