Moriah Sharpe
Doctoral candidate (ABD) and graduate research assistant
About
Moriah is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in justice, law, and criminology at American University, focusing on criminology and public policy.
She is interested in questions of procedural justice, intersectional inequality, and human dignity in the criminal justice system and enjoys using a variety of research methods to analyze criminal justice policy.
Originally from North Carolina, she is passionate about addressing inequality and injustice in her hometown and beyond.
Education
American University, Washington, D.C.
PhD in Justice, Law, and Criminology
- Entered program August 2023
- Comprehensive exams: criminological theory, public policy
- Dissertation: Three Essays on Procedural Justice
University of North Texas, Denton, TX
MS in Criminal Justice, concentration in Theory and Research
- Graduated May 2021
- Comprehensive exams: criminal justice administration, criminological theory, research methods
- Tori J. Caeti Memorial Scholar, 2020-2021
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Criminal Justice, 2021
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
BA in Psychology, minor in Linguistics
- Graduated May 2018
- Honors laureate; graduated with distinction
Selected experience
American University
Graduate assistant
Assist with research on rehabilitation in prison, access to justice, and pretrial processes; assist with class preparation, supervision, and grading for hybrid and in-person classes
- Doctoral research assistant, Research & Innovation on Pretrial Processes & Legal Experiences (RIPPLE)
- Guest lecturer, JLC 200: Deprivation of Liberty; JLC 104: Introduction to Systems of Justice; JLC 484/696: Corrections: Confined and Surveilled
Criminal Justice Innovation Lab
Research assistant
Assist with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for ongoing projects on alternative responder programs, social workers in public defenders’ offices, pretrial services, and the intersection of mental health and criminal justice
University of North Texas
Graduate assistant
Assisted with research on adult probation in Texas; assisted with coursework grading, class preparation, and classroom supervision for online and in-person classes ranging from 29 to 247 students
North Richland Hills Police Department
Research and planning intern
Analyzed financial data for NRHPD’s shared services agreement with Richland Hills, Haltom City, and Watauga police departments and produced projected non-shared financial data; prepared report describing findings
Publications
Sharpe, M. (forthcoming). Racial disparities in transit policing. In V. Ceccato & A. Loukaitou-Sideris, Elgar Encyclopedia of Transit Crime and Safety, Edward Elgar Publishing.
Turner, H. & Sharpe, M. (2025). Supporting and evaluating implementation of social workers in public defender offices. Criminal Justice Innovation Lab.
Johnson, R., Wilkerson, G., & Sharpe, M. (2025). Putting the person in the picture: An examination of the lived experience of entry, assimilation, and adaptation on death row. In C. Dum, J. Fader, T. LeBel, & K. Wright (Eds.), Handbook on Lived Experience in the Justice System, Routledge.
Ripper, B., Whitmire, L., Smith, P. V., Sharpe, M., Leopold, R., & Johnson, R. (2025). Lived experience can inform reentry programs inside of prison for individuals sentenced to life. In C. Dum, J. Fader, T. LeBel, & K. Wright (Eds.), Handbook on Lived Experience in the Justice System, Routledge.