Keesha Middlemass, Ph.D., is a fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and professor of American politics and public policy in the Department of Political Science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Her research is interdisciplinary; she studies race, policies, and the criminal legal system to explore the lived experiences of being a justice impacted adult. To study multiple issues, Middlemass uses different methods, including interviews, focus groups, ethnography, participant observations, and policy analysis, to better understand how race, policies, and the criminal justice system impact underserved communities. For example, in her award-winning book, “Convicted & Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry,” Middlemass examines the experiences of former prisoners reentering society. “Convicted & Condemned” is different from other books because it fills in critical gaps in our understanding of the history of race and politics, how individuals reenter society after a time of incarceration, how policies exacerbate individual-level challenges, and makes a significant interdisciplinary contribution in understanding the lived experiences of justice impacted adults. Further, Middlemass crafts a narrative that connects politics and race to show how policies create perverted outcomes for men and women attempting to reenter society after serving time in prison. Middlemass has also expanded her work to include studying food insecurity and trauma experienced by justice-impacted adults.
Middlemass’ work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, including The Prison Journal, Aggressive Behavior, Criminal Justice & Behavior, Public Health Nutrition, and Punishment & Society. Middlemass is a former Andrew Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow on Race, Crime, and Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice in New York City, and a former American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellow. Middlemass earned her Ph.D. in public policy, American politics, and public administration from The School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia.
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Current Positions
- Fellow, Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution
- Professor of American Politics and Public Policy, Howard University
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Past Positions
- Associate Professor of American Politics and Public Policy, Howard University
- Andrew Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow on Race, Crime, and Justice, Vera Institute of Justice
- Congressional Fellow, American Political Science Association
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Education
- Ph.D. in Public Policy, American Politics, and Public Administration, University of Georgia
- M.A. in American Politics, University of Georgia
- B.A. in Political Science, Wichita State University