LaQuana Askew, PhD

Education

• PhD, Old Dominion University
• MA, University of North Carolina - Wilmington
• BA, University of North Carolina - Wilmington

Research/ Fields of Interest

Racial Equity, Specialty Courts, Reentry, Incarceration and Punishment, Criminological Theory, Critical Carceral Studies, Critical Race Theory, Black Feminist Theory, Policy Reform

Biography

LaQuana N. Askew is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Suffolk University. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Old Dominion University. Her research is rooted in racial equity and justice, focusing on the structural disparities that shape the experiences of Black women in the criminal legal system, particularly within drug treatment courts. Using intersectional, Black feminist perspectives she uses mixed methods to examine access, outcomes, and lived experiences of Black women in treatment courts.

Before joining Suffolk University, Dr. Askew was Research Associate at the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT) at Sam Houston State University, where she supported and led state and federally funded evaluations aimed at improving justice system policies and practices. Her technical expertise included program evaluation, grant writing, technical assistance, and specialized training for courts and correctional stakeholders/professionals. She has published in Crime & Delinquency, The Prison Journal, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Journal of Criminal Justice and the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice. Her broader research agenda is committed to advancing justice-oriented, trauma-informed, and public health–centered solutions that are guided by a critical examination of the way that the criminal legal system disproportionately impacts Black communities.

Selected Publications

• Orrick, Erin A. and Askew, LaQuana N. (2024). The impact of specialized referral service among Halfway House residents: A randomized control trial. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 63(5), 311-327, https://doi.org/10.1080/10509674.2024.2353559
• Paige, Briana, Askew, LaQuana N., Haakmat, Narissa, Otañez, Leslie, & Monk-Turner, Elizabeth (2024). The social media coverage of deadly police shootings of black men: 2016 v. 2020. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 22(2), 140-162, https://doi.org/10.1080/15377938.2024.2342796
• Copeland, Adrian., Askew, LaQuana N., & Buist, Carrie L. (2023). Discriminatory laws and biased media: Considering the harm to the LGBTQ community. In 1st ed. The (Mis)Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime. New York: Routledge.
• Bouffard, Leana A., Bouffard, Jeff A., Nobles, Matt R., Askew, LaQuana N. (2021). Still in the shadows: The Unresponsiveness of Stalking Prosecution Rates to Increased Legislative Attention. Journal of Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2021.101794
• Bouffard, Jeffrey A. & Askew, LaQuana N. (2017). Time-Series Analyses of the Impact of Sex Offender Registration and Notification Law Implementation and Subsequent Modifications on Rates of Sexual Offenses. Crime and Delinquency. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128717722010
• DeVall, Kristen, Christina Lanier, David J. Hartmann, Sarah H. Williamson, & LaQuana N. Askew. (2017). “Intensive Supervision Programs and Recidivism: How Michigan Successfully Targets High-Risk Offenders”. The Prison Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885517728876

Presentations & Professional Activities

• Research Fellow, Healthcare Approaches to Justice Collaborative, Montclair State University, 2025
• Ordukhani, Sheila and Askew, LaQuana N. November 2024. Beyond Prohibition: Unraveling the Impact of California Drug Policy on Arrests and Public Health Trends [Poster presentation]. American Society of Criminology. San Francisco, California.
• Coghill, Kay, Coles, Carolyn, Sander, Kaelyn, Martin, Ky, and Askew, LaQuana N. November 2024. Diversity and the Experiences of Black and Brown Folk in Criminology and at ASC. [Lightning Talk presentation]. American Society of Criminology San Francisco, California
• Copeland, Adriana, Askew, LaQuana N., and Buist, Carrie. November 2023. Discriminatory Laws and Biased Media: Considering the Harm to the LGBTQ Community. [Paper presentation]. American Society of Criminology Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Petersen, Amanda, Howard, Nicolas R., Avalos, Susana, and Askew, LaQuana N. November 2023. What CRT Taught Me: Pedagogy Edition. [Roundtable presentation]. American Society of Criminology Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Gainey, Randy, Porter, Bryan, and Askew, LaQuana N. November 2023. Are Dangerous Places Necessarily Fatal Places? A City-County Level Analysis of Traffic Accidents and Fatalities. [Paper presentation]. American Society of Criminology Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Twitty, Bethany, Bower, Erica, Snell, Julie, and Askew, LaQuana N. March 2023. Teaching Criminal Justice: Ideas for Interactive Learning in the Classroom. [Roundtable presentation]. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Harbor, Maryland.
• Gainey, Randy, Porter, Bryan, and Askew, LaQuana N. March 2023. Culture and Deterrence: A City-County Level Analysis of Traffic Accidents and Fatalities. [Paper presentation]. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences National Harbor, Maryland.
• Martin, Kylil, Ruffin, Joshua, Reeds, Carl L., Mitchell, Michael, and Askew, LaQuana N. November 2022. Critical Approaches to Community Engagement: Furthering the Scope of Advocacy and Research in the Black Community. [Roundtable presentation]. American Society of Criminology Atlanta, Georgia.
• Askew, LaQuana N. November 2022. Underserviced and Neglected: An Examination of Black Women in Drug Treatment Courts. [Paper presentation]. American Society of Criminology Atlanta, Georgia.
• Kibler, MacKenzie, Askew, LaQuana N., Vonderhaar, Rebecca, Avalos, Susana, Haakmat, Narissa. April 2022. Perceptions of Homelessness, Mental Illness, and Attitudes Towards the Police: An Analysis of Citizen Perceptions across Hampton Roads. [Roundtable presentation]. Hampton Roads Social Justice Conference Newport News, Virginia.
• Avalos, Susana, Askew, LaQuana N., and Haakmat, Narissa. April 2022. The Revolving Door of Victimization: The Failure of Reentry Policies for LGBTQ+ People. [Roundtable presentation]. Hampton Roads Social Justice Conference Newport News, Virginia.
• Askew, LaQuana N., Haakmat, Narissa, Paige, Briana, and Kibler, MacKenzie. March 2022. The Experiences of Black Women in the Criminal Legal System. [Roundtable presentation]. Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Gonzalez, Cassandra, Banks, Erica, Askew, LaQuana N., and Monishia “Moe” Miller. November 2021. Addressing the Underrepresentation of Black Women in Reentry. [Roundtable presentation]. American Society of Criminology Chicago, Illinois.
• Askew, LaQuana N. and Orrick, Erin A. November 2021. Halfway House to Home Project Evaluation: Impact on Length of Stay and Reincarceration. [Roundtable presentation]. American Society of Criminology Chicago, Illinois.
• Orrick, Erin A. and Askew, LaQuana N. May 2020. Correctional Officer Recruit’s Mental Health, Training, and Retention Concerns. [Paper presentation]. International Correctional Research Symposium. Porto, Portugal. Conference canceled.
• Gregory, Amber and Askew, LaQuana N. April 2019. Workshop #19 - Criminal Justice Division and Specialty Court Resource Center: Training and Technical Assistance. [Speaker]. Texas Association of Specialty Courts Training Galveston, Texas.

Honors/Awards

• Excellence in Service, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, 2025
• Graduate Fellowship for the Study of Gender and Crime, The Division of Feminist Criminology, 2024
• Excellence in Teaching, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, 2024

Grants/Funded Projects

• (2023) Research Assistant: National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Behavioral Sciences of Transportation Issues, Year 3 Evaluation Report.
• (2020-2022) Research Associate: Texas Department of Criminal Justice subcontract. Innovative Reentry Initiatives: Building System Capacity & Testing Strategies to Reduce Recidivism (BJA-2019-15320).
• (2017-2021) Research Associate: State of Texas Governor’s Office, Criminal Justice Division. Texas Specialty Court Resource Center at CMIT Implementation Grant.
• (2015-2019) Research Associate: Texas Department of Criminal Justice subcontract. Second Chance Act Two-Phase Adult Reentry Demonstration Program: Halfway House to Home Implementation Grant (BJA 2015-CZ-BX-0008).

Employment History

• (2022-2025) Research Intern, National Center for State Courts
• (2015-2021) Research Associate I, Correctional Management Institute of Texas, College of Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University