Tyler Smith

My research broadly focuses on the intersection of the criminal-legal and economic fields. I am especially interested in researching this intersection from a historical perspective, seeking to understand how social actors make sense of and negotiate their understandings of particular punishment practices. My current work is exploring the crisis over contractual prison labor in the late 19th century and how social actors created, negotiated, defended, and contested the various meanings associated with the practice. I also study contemporary uses of legal financial obligations and private services within the criminal-legal system.