Jessica Simes

Jessica T. Simes is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Boston University with broad interests in punishment, urban inequality, poverty and marginality, and immigration. In her research, she analyzes mass incarceration from a spatial perspective to understand and explain broad patterns of social inequality. Her current book project explores the geography of mass imprisonment using data visualization, mapping, and spatial analysis of geocoded address- and county-level data. Her research draws on a range of methodologies and data sources, including spatial analysis, surveys, and qualitative interviews.

Other current projects include a mixed-methods study of place stratification and poverty-related organizational density, a field study of solitary confinement in Pennsylvania, and studies of neighborhood attainment and substance use after incarceration ends.

Professor Simes received her B.A. with honors in sociology from Occidental College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Andrew Mellon Foundation.