Kristin A. Bates is a professor of criminology and justice studies in the Department of Sociology at California State University San Marcos. Her research focuses on racial, ethnic, and gender inequality in criminal justice policies. She is currently involved in a study examining the community impact of civil gang injunctions. She is co-editor of the book Through the Eye of Katrina: Social Justice in the United States, as well as co-author of Juvenile Delinquency in a Diverse Society, both in their second editions. Dr. Bates earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Washington in 1998.

Randy R. Gainey is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University. His research focuses on sentencing decisions, alternatives to incarceration, and neighborhood characteristics and crime. He is co-author of two other books: Family Violence and Criminal Justice: A Life-Course Approach, now in its third edition, and Drugs and Policing. His articles have recently appeared in Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Theoretical Criminology, The Prison Journal, The Journal of Criminal Justice, and The Journal of Crime and Justice. Dr. Gainey earned his PhD in sociology in 1995 at the University of Washington.