Michelle S. Phelps

@michellesphelps.bsky.social

3245 Followers 1183 Following

Professor at UMN, Sociologist, Mom | Books: Breaking the Pendulum on criminal justice & The Minneapolis Reckoning on the politics of policing | www.michellesphelps.com.

Acknowledgement: We credit sociology Professor Michelle Phelps for developing the concept of "mass probation," which informs much of our thinking about how these systems interrelate.
"Forty-some years I’ve been on paper”: Navigating probation in later adulthood. Abstract: Older adults are a rapidly growing population within the criminal legal system, prompting new scholarship about the consequences of a “graying” prison population. Less studied, however, has been the impact of an aging population for the larger share of adults under community supervision. Drawing on interviews conducted in 2019 with 44 adults aged 50 years or older on probation in Minnesota, we explore how aging shapes the experiences and meaning of supervision. Our findings show that older adults on probation experienced chronic instability, significant health concerns, and often lengthy criminal legal entanglements. Building on the framework of hypermarginality, we argue that aging is an under-appreciated axis of vulnerability for people with criminal legal system involvement. By studying older adults’ distinct experiences, scholars can better locate the role of probation in contemporary poverty governance.
Excerpt from The Minneapolis Reckoning on delaying in police misconduct resolution.
"Status of Historical OPCR Case Backlog as of March 31, 2025". See link in original post for full text.
Chart on "Status of Historical IA Case Backlog as of May 15, 2025." For full text, see link in original post.
Image of memorial at GFS
Picture of Brass Solidarity band and quote included above.
Screen shot of article, reading: Michelle Phelps, an author and sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, says Minneapolis represents "both the promise of liberal police reform, but also its persistent failures." Still, she has also seen positive strides. "There have been a number of innovations about, how do we think about reducing that contact between police and community members? And you're seeing other kinds of responders that can come into those situations that aren't armed with a gun and that aren't trained in how to deploy violence," Phelps said.
Event flyer listing event day/time (Oct. 23rd, 12:30-2pm CST). For more information, contact drasi001 AT umn.edu.
flyer with event details: Fri, Oct. 27th, 1-2:30pm CST