My name is Meghan Maree Ballard and I am a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Irvine in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society. I earned a B.A. in Political Science, with a Minor in Ethnic Studies, from the University of California, Berkeley (2010) and a M.S. in Justice, Law and Criminology, with an emphasis in Public Policy, from American University (2018). While attending American University, I also earned a Certificate in Analytics and Management from the School of Public Affairs’ Analytics and Management Institute.
For nearly a decade (2010-2019), I worked as a Paralegal Supervisor in the U.S. Department of Justice in the Criminal Section of the Antitrust Division and as a Paralegal Specialist in the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section of the Civil Rights Division. During this time I served on trial teams pursuing prosecutions against companies and individuals charged with white collar crimes, and provided civil rights technical assistance to state courts, law enforcement agencies, and correctional institutions.
My research interests stem from my academic and professional experience and include linguistic (in)justice, racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system, and the interplay between social inequities and access to justice. I am currently collecting data for my dissertation on the organizational meaning-making of civil rights law as it pertains to language access in the criminal legal system. One facet of this project is collecting qualitative data relating to language services, such as interpretation and translation, in California Courts. I have received thousands of dollars in funding to support my dissertation research from my department, university, and professional organizations. I am also involved in research on the California Racial Justice Act (CRJA), which is being funded, in part, by the California Policy Lab.
I have published several peer-reviewed articles in Annals of the American Academy of Political Science, RSF: The Russell Safe Foundation Journal of the Social Science, Societies, and Policing & Society. I have also published several policy briefs and commentaries on a variety of topics and have appeared on podcasts to discuss my research on language accessibility and language rights in the criminal legal system. My department has awarded me several honors in recognition of my excellence in research.
Outside of academia, I enjoy exploring local running paths and recently completed the Orange County Half Marathon.
Fun fact: I am an undefeated amateur boxer, with my (singular) victory secured at Gleason’s Gym in New York City.
In the spirit of healing, I acknowledge and honor the Kizh, Acjachemen (Juaneño), and Tongva, the original people of the land upon which University of California, Irvine stands. (https://native-land.ca)