Melinda Tasca

Dr. Melinda Tasca is a highly regarded criminologist and associate professor at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), in the Department of Criminal Justice and Security Studies. With an academic foundation firmly rooted in Arizona State University—where she earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice—Dr. Tasca has cultivated an impressive career dedicated to exploring and addressing critical issues within correctional systems. Her academic and research focus lies predominantly in the domains of correctional policy, the consequences of incarceration, prison conditions, disparities in the justice system, and family dynamics related to imprisonment. Dr. Tasca is particularly recognized for her empirical work on prison visitation, family contact during incarceration, gender and racial disparities in prison disciplinary practices, and the impact of prison conditions on reentry and recidivism. Her scholarship highlights the often-overlooked social consequences of incarceration and has helped shape policies around family engagement and correctional officer wellbeing. Dr. Tasca’s robust portfolio includes over 20 peer-reviewed articles, multiple book chapters, and technical research reports prepared for agencies like the Arizona Department of Corrections, the National Institute of Justice, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. She has secured significant external funding for her work, including grants from Arnold Ventures, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Justice. These grants have supported large-scale studies on prison violence, officer stress, and the experiences of incarcerated women and their families. In addition to her research, Dr. Tasca is a committed educator and mentor. At UTEP and formerly at Sam Houston State University, she has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses on criminal justice policy, mass incarceration, gender and crime, and program evaluation. She has chaired and served on numerous dissertation, thesis, and honors committees, playing a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of criminal justice scholars. Dr. Tasca’s professional service is equally distinguished. She has held leadership roles in the American Society of Criminology, served as a peer reviewer for top criminology journals, and participated in national criminal justice workgroups. Her commitment to applied, impactful research is evidenced by her involvement in practitioner-oriented briefings, public policy projects, and correctional reform initiatives. Beyond academia, her work has received public recognition and media coverage for shedding light on underexamined issues, such as the disproportionate punishment of incarcerated women for minor infractions and the challenges families face in maintaining contact with incarcerated loved ones. She is widely respected for her methodologically rigorous, policy-relevant research and for her interdisciplinary approach to understanding justice system inequalities. Dr. Tasca continues to be a thought leader in correctional research, advocating for evidence-based policies that promote fairness, rehabilitation, and human dignity within the criminal justice system.