10/04/2025 - 6th Research Forum session 2024-2025: The criminal justice system & social inequalities

6th Research Forum session of the academic year 2024-2025

Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2025

Time:  12pm 1:30pm

Room:  40.035, Sala de Graus Calsamiglia, Campus Ciutadella

Speaker:  Martí Rovira,  Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Chair: Jorge Rodríguez, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Presentation -  The criminal justice system & social inequalities

Abstract

The criminal justice system is more than a law enforcement mechanism—it is a powerful force that shapes social inequalities. I argue that political and social sciences must take a more active role in examining its impact on society. To illustrate this, I draw on two of my latest projects, which use quantitative social science methods to reveal how well-intended criminal justice policies can reinforce, deepen, or even create social disparities. First, I reflect on recent field experiments that expose the extent of labor market discrimination against individuals with criminal records. Second, I examine the impact of protection orders on reducing exposure to intimate partner violence recidivism. Together, these studies underscore the urgent need for greater social science engagement with this critical, socially stratifying institution. 

About the Speaker

Martí Rovira: "I am a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and member of the SocioDemographics Research Group DemoSoc Group. Previously I was a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Sociology Department and a Non-stipendiary Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Nuffield College.
My work to date has explored questions about the intersections between social inequalities and the criminal justice system, with a strong focus on the effects of Criminal Background Checks –requests for information on previous convictions for non-judicial purposes –.
Recently, I have conducted research on interventions aimed at reducing recidivism. In my past research, I have mainly relied upon quantitative methods, including experimental audit designs. Notwithstanding, my work is methodologically plural, and I always strive to keep up to date with methodological developments in criminology, sociology and beyond. In recent years in my work I have relied on computational social science methods."