Jason Gravel, Ph.D.

Criminologist

Social network analysis. Data science. Street gangs and gun violence.

Bio

I am a criminologist interested in the role social networks play in facilitating and perpetuating criminal and violent behavior. Social networks shape the information we have access to, the behaviors we observe, the opportunities we encounter, and the values we adopt. I am particularly interested in applying social network analysis to develop ways to prevent and reduce crime and violence, particularly gang and firearm-related violence. 

 

I completed my Ph.D. in June 2018 in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. My dissertation "On the use of police data for social network analysis" examines the challenges and promises of using police records to study criminal networks. Previously, I completed a MA in August 2013 in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. 

 

Following my Ph.D., I joined the Penn Injury Science Center (PISC) at the University of Pennsylvania as a postdoctoral fellow.  My work at PISC centered on evaluating the impact of firearm laws, examining how elements of the built environment of urban areas can reduce violence, and studying the mechanisms that make violence behave like a contagious disease. 

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In the Fall of 2020, I joined the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University as an Assistant Professor. 

 

 
 

Education

October 2018 - August 2020

Postdoctoral fellow 

Penn Injury Science Center

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics

Perelman School of Medicine

University of Pennsylvania

Mentors

Dr. Douglas J. Wiebe

Dr. John M. Macdonald

September 2013 - June 2018

Ph.D. Criminology, Law, & Society
University of California, Irvine

Dissertation 

"On the use of police data for social network analysis"

Dr. George E. Tita, Chair and advisor

Committee members

Dr. Katherine Faust

Dr. Michael R. Gottfredson

Dr. John R. Hipp

Dr. Cheryl L. Maxson

September 2011 - August 2013

M.A. Criminology
Simon Fraser University

Thesis

"Jack-of-all-trades: Social capital, criminal versatility, and brokerage in a street gang network"

Dr. Martin Bouchard, Chair and advisor

Committee members

Dr. David C. Pyrooz

Dr. Jennifer S. Wong

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September 2006 - May 2009

B.A. Psychology
Université Laval

My Publications

 

Network Exposure and Excessive Use of Force:

Investigating the social transmission of police misconduct

Marie Ouellet, Sadaf Hashimi, Jason Gravel, & Andrew V. Papachristos

Criminology & Public Policy

August 2019

In this study, we investigate how a police officer's exposure to peers accused of misconduct shapes his or her involvement in excessive use of force. By drawing from 8,642 Chicago police officers named in multiple complaints, we reconstruct police misconduct ego‐networks using complaint records. Our results show that officer involvement in excessive use of force complaints is predicted by having a greater proportion of co‐accused with a history of such behaviors. 

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Our findings indicate officers’ peers may serve as social conduits through which misconduct may be learned and transmitted. Isolating officers that engage in improper use of force, at least until problematic behaviors are addressed, seems to be critical to reducing police misconduct and department‐wide citizen complaints. Future studies should be aimed at investigating how social networks shape police misconduct and the ways network analysis might be used to diffuse intervention strategies within departments.

 
 

Contact information

937 Blockley Hall
423 Guardian Drive,
Philadelphia, PA. 19104

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