Jesse Wozniak, Ph.D.

Associate Professor - Sociology

Dr. Wozniak received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota in 2012 and joined WVU in January 2013. His work lies at the intersection of criminology, political sociology, and critical theory, focusing primarily on (1) the origins and development of policing practices, (2) the role of police training in transforming institutional culture, (3) abolition and alternatives to state security forces, and (4) situating state formation in a broader context of neoliberal globalization and neoimperialism. He currently has four active lines of research, ranging from historical work to international fieldwork to partnerships with government agencies and community organizations. In this work, he illuminates how police attempt to achieve and maintain legitimacy in a range of settings, from international conflict zones to American cities, as well as how communities respond and react to these attempts.

Dr. Wozniak is a major proponent of public sociology and is quite active in the community concerning issues of criminal legal system reform and racial justice. He is on the leadership team of the Alliance for Police Accountability, a Pittsburgh (PA)-based organization which both advocates for individuals experiencing police abuse as well as for legal and social changes in how public safety is created and maintained.

Dr. Wozniak's website can be found at here.

Selected Publications

Wozniak, Jesse. 2021. Policing Iraq: Legitimacy, Democracy, and Empire in a Developing State Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Wozniak, Jesse, Justin Laing, Brandi Fisher, Jasiri X, Allyce Pinchback-Johnson, Leon Ford, Michelle Kenney, Miracle Jones, and Ashley Comans. 2021. Reimagining Public Safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County: A Community Vision for Lasting Health and Safety Available at: https://apa-pgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Digital_CRPS_Report_2021_APA.pdf

Wozniak, Jesse. 2019. “Iraq’s Neoliberal Reconstruction and the Continued Relevance of the State” Sociological Focus 52(4): 359-376.

Wozniak, Jesse. 2017. "Iraq and the Material Basis of Post-Conflict Police Reconstruction" The Journal of Peace Research54(6): 806-818.

Wozniak, Jesse 2017. “’We are Going to Prove That We Are a Civil and Developed Country’: The Cultural Performance of Police Legitimacy and Empire in the Iraqi State” The British Journal of Criminology. 57(4):906-923.

Courses Taught

SOCA 234 The Criminal Justice System
SOCA 319 Police Culture & Socialization
SOCA 321 Punishment and Social Control
SOCA 488 Law, Politics, and Inequality
SOCA 513 Qualitative Methods
SOCA 610 Advanced General Sociology
SOCA 793: Race, Crime, and Community