Jason Azriel Campos

Jason Azriel Campos is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at Texas A&M University. His research interests lie at the intersections of critical criminology, race and ethnic relations, and urban studies. Specifically, he focuses on how criminally-based perceptions of Latina/o/x neighborhoods shape and influence criminal outcomes, including contact with law enforcement and patterns of policing in communities undergoing demographic and structural changes. Jason received an M.S. in Sociology from Texas A&M University and a B.A. in Sociology and Ethnic Studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

His current dissertation project is a mixed-methods study on perceptions and policing in the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan. Drawing from a triangulated set of data—extensive ethnographic observation, semi-structured interviews, and quantitative crime data from 1990 to the present—he investigates how residents of this community are affected by the criminalization process and how they navigate situational complexities such as gentrification, policing, victimization, incarceration, and other negative criminal outcomes. His dissertation draws attention to the framing of space and centers on the voices of residents directly affected by local and state responses to crime, who are positioned as targets for legal scrutiny and tough-on-crime policies. He uncovers the ways in which residents navigate and resist oppressive forces through community-led safety initiatives that counteract mainstream criminal justice perceptions and approaches. His dissertation is supported by the American Sociological Association’s Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG).

In previous research, Jason contributed to the Mexican Reintegration Project, a study examining the causes and consequences of deportation for Mexican nationals, particularly those with prior contact with the criminal justice system, and the challenges they face during reintegration into new communities. He has co-authored publications in Sociology Compass and the Routledge International Handbook of Critical Gang Studies. Jason is an active member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.