Cindy Brooks Dollar

Dr. Cindy Brooks Dollar serves as a professor and graduate program director for the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Justice Studies. 

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, North Carolina State University

(Areas of Specializations: Inequalities, Crime, Deviance, & Social Control)

Research

Dr. Dollar’s research investigates links between inequalities, harm, and control. Her research generally investigates patterns of harm, including substance use and violence. Her first full-length manuscript, “I Never Wanted To Be A Stereotype”, was released in 2021 and was nominated for two national academic book awards. Her second full-length manuscript, “It’s Hard to Explain, but…: What Psychedelic Use Can Teach Us About the Social and the Spiritual”, was released in 2026.

Dr. Dollar also has a forthcoming co-edited book titled “Navigating Stigma: Stories of Living as and Offender, Victim, and Survivor”, which is scheduled for release in February 2027.

Dr. Dollar’s research has also been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including but not limited to Critical Criminology, Humanity & Society, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, Social Currents, The Sociological Quarterly, International Journal of Law & Psychiatry, Deviant Behavior, Contemporary Drug Problems, Journal of Drug Issues, Sociological Inquiry, Sociological Spectrum, and Criminal Justice Policy Review.

She has also published book chapters in edited volumes on crime and violence causation, alternative governance settings, and societal trauma. Her work has gained national and international attention, being featured on the Center for Justice and Reconciliation’s Prison Fellowship International and blogs managed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Corrections, the International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence, and the Council on Contemporary Families.

Courses Taught

I view social deviance (its definition, enactment, and punishment) as inextricably linked to broad social issues. As a teacher, I encourage student engagement in learning and promote critical thinking and writing. I organize my classes in a way that introduces students to historical and contemporary scholarship and emphasizes the value of sociological theory and research methods. I regularly teach the following courses:

• Social Deviance
• Drugs & U.S. Society
• Considering Ourselves Offenders, Victims, & Survivors
• Criminology Seminar
• Social Control Seminar