Nicole Sherman
Dr. Nicole Sherman graduated from University of California, Irvine in 2017, earning her Ph.D in Criminology, Law and Society. Her dissertation research constitutes a three-year ethnographic study of Veterans Treatment Courts and the role of specialty courts in the criminal justice system. She also earned an M.A. in Social Ecology.Nicole’s research examines how identities are constructed and utilized during people’s interactions with the criminal justice system.
Dr. Sherman's research examines how pro-social labeling and reaffirmation of positive identities, when coupled with other socio-legal constructs such as legitimacy and therapeutic jurisprudence, may facilitate desistance from a criminogenic lifestyle. She has also worked on a multi-method project on the underground gun market in Los Angeles, focusing on offender perceptions of gun laws, community safety, and firearm acquisition.