Assistant Professor, African American Studies & Criminology
The College of New Jersey
Michael B. Mitchell, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Criminology. He holds a Ph.D. and B.S. in Administration of Justice from Texas Southern University and an M.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from The University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Mitchell has prior professional experience in the criminal legal system as a detention service officer inside the Dallas County (TX) Jail-West Tower (mental housing facility) and a police officer with the City of Garland (TX) Police Department. As a professor, and researcher, Dr. Mitchell’s teaching and academic research foreground the lived experiences of individuals directly impacted by the criminal legal system as well as those who work within it. He is a critical criminologist who engages a variety of audiences (e.g., students, criminal justice professionals, and the public) through speaking invitations and public-facing publications (i.e., op-eds and editorials) on race and policing in the United States, prisoner reentry/returning citizens, and youth and school security measures. At TCNJ, Dr. Mitchell regularly teaches courses on policing, social justice, race, crime, and justice, and the school-to-prison pipeline. In the broader community, he serves in a volunteer or advisory capacity for the following: New Jersey Intensive Supervision Program, City of Clifton Advisory Committee on Civil Rights, Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee (DICE) for the New Jersey Superior Court-Passaic Vicinage, Passaic County Advisory Board for the Reduction of Gun Violence, and WAFAA Organization.