Research and Teaching Interests:  My focus within the field of justice studies includes substantive and procedural criminal law, law & society and the criminal court system. Particularly I am interested in the process by which jurors render verdicts in criminal trials. Thus, my dissertation will utilize qualitative research methods to gain a better understanding of the decision making process jurors undergo in death penalty cases. I am currently involved in conducting research for the Capital Jury Project, where jurors are interviewed about their experiences in serving the criminal justice system.

My areas of interest within American Politics include public law, political institutions, political behavior and public opinion. In 2003 I was accepted to study at the Summer Institute in Political Psychology at the Ohio State University in Columbus which brings together scholars from around the world to share their research regarding political psychology.

e-mail:  cbellas@kent.edu