Claudia Nmai

Research Interests: Crime and Punishment; Law; Culture; Social Stratification and Inequality; Socialization; Race and Ethnicity; Immigration; Qualitative Methods

Claudia Nmai is a PhD student in Sociology. Broadly, she is interested in the criminal legal system, particularly to understand how class, racial identity, and immigration status shape experiences with and perceptions of legal institutions and actors. She is also interested in studying dynamics of legal socialization, including the interplay between privilege and marginalization and the role that the family plays in these socialization processes.

She received her B.A. in Sociology and minor in African and African American Studies from Stanford University in 2023, where she was a Mellon Mays Fellow. As an undergraduate, her senior honors thesis explored the narratives and strategies that class-privileged Black parents across ethnic identity and immigration status shared with their children about navigating police encounters in the United States. Prior to beginning graduate studies, Claudia worked as a Research Assistant in the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. 

Previous Degrees:
BA in Sociology, Stanford University (2023)