Frank Edwards is a distinguished sociologist renowned for his research on social control, the welfare state, race, and applied statistics. Holding a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Washington (2017), Dr. Edwards joined the Rutgers-Newark School of Criminal Justice in 2018, bringing his expertise to a leading institution in the field.
Research Focus: State Violence and Family Disruption
Dr. Edwards’s work is centered around the multifaceted issue of state violence and its societal distribution. His research encompasses two primary projects:
Child Protection Systems and Family Separation
One key area of Dr. Edwards’s research delves into the intricate workings of American child protection systems. He highlights these systems as critical points of family disruption, demonstrating their close ties to carceral and welfare policies. His scholarship emphasizes the significant roles of race and historical colonization in shaping the uneven distribution of family separation across different communities.
Police-Involved Killings in the United States
Dr. Edwards also conducts in-depth analyses of police violence, specifically focusing on the prevalence of police-involved killings in the U.S. Utilizing innovative data and Bayesian statistical methods, his project provides crucial estimates of mortality risk based on race, sex, and geographic location. Furthermore, he investigates the influence of institutions and political factors on the occurrence of police violence.
Impactful Publications and Recognition
Dr. Edwards’s research has been published in highly respected peer-reviewed journals, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, American Sociological Review, and American Journal of Public Health, among others. His significant contributions have garnered attention from major news outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and PBS News Hour, showcasing the broad relevance and impact of his sociological insights.
Selected Publications
This section highlights some of Dr. Edwards’s recent and key publications, demonstrating the breadth and depth of his scholarly contributions:
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Edwards, Frank R., Sarah Roberts, Mical Raz, Kathleen Kenny, Matty Lichtenstein, and Mishka Terplan. 2023. “Medical professional reports and child welfare system infant investigations: an analysis of National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data”. Health Equity.
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Edwards, Frank R., Kelley Fong, Victoria Copeland, Mical Raz, and Alan Dettlaff. 2023. “Administrative Burdens in Child Welfare”. The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of The Social Sciences.
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Horowitz, Veronia, Kimberly Spencer-Suarez, Ryan Larson, Robert Stewart, Frank R. Edwards, Emmi Obara, and Christopher Uggen. 2022. “Dual Debtors: Child Support and Criminal Legal Financial Obligations”. Social Service Review.
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Edwards, Frank R., Theresa Rocha Beardall, and Hannah Curtis. 2023. “American Indian and Alaska Native overexposure to foster care and family surveillance in the US: a quantitative overview of contemporary system contact”. Children and Youth Services Review
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Rocha Beardall, Theresa and Frank R. Edwards. 2021. “Abolition, Elimination, and Indian Child Welfare.” Columbia Journal of Race and Law. 11(3)
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Edwards, F.R., Wakefield, S., Healy, K. and Wildman, C. (2021). “Child Protective Services Contact in the 20 Most Populous Counties in the US”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences https://www.pnas.org/content/118/30/e2106272118
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Raz, M., Dettlaff, A. and Edwards, F.R. (2021). “The Perils of Child ‘Protection’ for Children of Color: Lessons from History”. Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/148/1/e2021050237/180165/The-Perils-of-Child-Protection-for-Children-of
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Yi, Y., Edwards, F.R., & Wildeman, C. (2020). Cumulative prevalence of confirmed maltreatment and foster care placement for US children by race/ethnicity, 2011 – 2016. American Journal of Public Health, 110, 704-709. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32191517/
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Wildeman, C., Edwards F.R., & Wakefield, S. (2020). The Cumulative prevalence of termination of parental rights for U.S. children, 2000-2016. Child Maltreatment, 25, 32-42. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6868298/
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Edwards, F.R., Lee, H., & Esposito, M. (2019). Risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States by age, race–ethnicity, and sex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116, 16793-16798. https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793
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Fernandes, A, Edwards, F.R., Cadigan, M., & Harris, A. (2019). Monetary sanctions: A Review of revenue generation, legal challenges, and reform. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 15, 397-413. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-101518-042816
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Edwards, F.R. (2019). Family surveillance: Police and the reporting of child abuse and neglect. The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of The Social Sciences, 5, 50-70. https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/5/1/50
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Edwards, F.R., Esposito, M., & Lee, H. (2018). Risk of police-involved death by race/ethnicity and place, United States, 2012-2018. The American Journal of Public Health, 108, 1241-1248. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304559
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Edwards, F.R., & Wildeman, C. (2018). Characteristics of the frontline child welfare workforce. Children and Youth Services Review, 89, 13-26. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740918300823
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Martin, K., Shannon, S., Sykes, B., Edwards, F.R., & Harris, A. (2018). Monetary sanctions in criminal justice. Annual Review of Criminology, 1, 471-495. https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-091915
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Harris, A., & Edwards, F.R. (2017). Fines and monetary sanctions. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. https://oxfordre.com/criminology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264079-e-228?result=41&rskey=ObNybW
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Edwards, F.R. (2016). Saving children, controlling families: Punishment, redistribution and child protection. American Sociological Review, 81, 575-595. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0003122416638652
Conclusion
Dr. Frank Edwards’s work provides critical insights into the workings of social control mechanisms within the United States. His rigorous research on child protection and police violence offers valuable data and analysis for academics, policymakers, and anyone concerned with issues of social justice and equity. His publications continue to shape the discourse in sociology, criminal justice, and public health, making him a significant voice in contemporary social science.
