Fat Criminology (FC)
My current focus: body size as an understudied source of bias and inequality in the criminal legal system.
Sociology · Bates College
Studying how bias shapes justice.
I'm Kelsey L. Kramer, Ph.D. (she/they) — an intersectional criminologist exploring inequality in the criminal legal system, and the emerging field of Fat Criminology.
About me
Bridging empirical data with lived, practical experience.
At the center of my research agenda is understanding how social biases contribute to inequalities in the criminal legal system (CLS), particularly in punishment. I draw on feminist, critical, and intersectional theory and methods to consider how gender, body size, race, and ethnicity shape criminalization and the experiences of defendants.
Before Bates, I evaluated grant-funded projects for the NSF, HRSA, National Council on Aging, and U.S. Department of Education, and worked as a research analyst in one of the largest county misdemeanor court systems in the U.S.
- Now
- Visiting Asst. Professor, Bates College
- Before
- Senior Research Associate, Texas A&M PPRI
- Published in
- Justice Quarterly, Crime & Delinquency, CJ&B
Research agenda
Understanding how bias produces inequality.
Bias in punishment
How social biases translate into unequal sentencing and outcomes across the criminal legal system.
Intersectional inequality
Where gender/patriarchy, weight bias, and race/racism intersect to shape criminalization.
Feminist & critical methods
Research grounded in feminist, critical, and intersectional theory — and in the people it studies.
Publications & talks
Scholarship in conversation.
Peer-reviewed research, conference presentations, and speaking engagements.
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Journal articleYear
Article title to be added
Justice Quarterly
Journal articleYear
Article title to be added
Crime & Delinquency
Journal articleYear
Article title to be added
Criminal Justice and Behavior
Presentation2025
Panel presentation
ASC Annual Meeting · Washington, D.C.
Presentation2024
Conference presentation
ASC Annual Meeting · San Francisco
Award2024
Graduate Travel Award recipient
ASC Division · SHSU
Teaching & mentorship
Learning is independent and collective.
Having taught at large public research institutions and small liberal arts colleges, my pedagogy centers growth, accountability, and critical thinking. Students take ownership of their learning while working together in shared inquiry.
- Curiosity
- Empathy
- Care
- Humor
- A bit of sarcasm
“Growth, accountability, and critical thinking are essential beyond the classroom.”
01
Statistics
Syllabus coming soon
02
Criminological Theory
Syllabus coming soon
03
Health, Disability & the Criminal Legal System
Syllabus coming soon
04
Race, Crime & Justice
Syllabus coming soon
05
Gender, Crime & Justice
Syllabus coming soon
06
Your next course
Syllabus coming soon
Writing
Field notes & emerging ideas.
Essays for academic and public audiences alike. The first pieces are on their way.
Field notes
Why body size belongs in criminology
Coming soon
Teaching
Notes on grading with care (and two cats)
Coming soon
Ideas
Intersectionality beyond the buzzword
Coming soon
Beyond the classroom
Coffee, bookstores & antique treasures.
You'll usually find me at a local coffee shop, in an independent bookstore, or hunting through antique shops — then home to reality TV, crime dramas, and my cats Crowley and Prudence, who supervise all grading.
Local coffee Indie bookstores Crowley & Prudence
