Abigail Kolb

Associate Professor
Department of Civic Engagement and Public Service University College

678-839-6326
akolb@westga.edu

Pafford Social Science Building - Room 238

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Abigail Kolb

My research is multidisciplinary, and has focused on the intersection of race, class, and gender inequalities within the criminal justice system. Specifically, I have focused on the unique issues that women and men of color face in corrections, their corporeal experiences within the carceral system, and their individual and collective mechanisms of agency. 

In addition, I have worked as a clinical and forensic social worker for over a decade, with various populations - primarily with sexual offenders - and research sex offender treatment. 

Beyond my research, I serve as the Site Director for Prison Education Programs at Hays State Prison (Level V; maximum security), and teach courses there, as well. At this facility, the University of West Georgia (UWG) has implemented a 4-year Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program. We are currently in our second year with our inaugural cohort of scholars.

 

  • B.S., Bachelor of Social Work, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2005
  • M.S., Master of Science - Clinical Social Work, Columbia University, 2006
  • PhD, Doctor of Philosophy - Criminology, Simon Fraser University, 2015

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Kolb, A.F. (2024). Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Sex Offenders: A Treatment Guide.Taylor & Francis: London, UK. ISBN: 978-1032586960 [View Publication External Resource]

Schweighoffer, A., Piche, L., & Kolb, A. (Forthcoming, 2024). Assessing child sexual exploitation material offenders. In L.A Craig, L. Dixon, & T.A. Gannon (Eds.). The Wiley Handbook of What Works in Offender Rehabilitation: An Evidence-Based Approach to T

Kolb, A. (224). Two steps forward, one step back: An overview of inequality in the criminal (in)justice system from 1704 to the present. In P. Pitman-Brown, & T. Parsons (Eds.). Introduction to Social Justice.

Christopher, Kelley; Kolb, Abigail; and Parsons, Tiffany A. (2022) [View Publication External Resource]

Kolb, A. (2021). “Just Listen, People!”: Narrative as Resistance in Criminological Research. In J.A. Schlosser (Ed.) Prison Stories: Women Scholars’ Experiences Doing Research Behind Bars (pp. 67-84). Lanham, MD: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing G

Kolb, A., Palys, T., & Green, A. (2019). “When You’re Out, You’re Not Really Out”: Exiting Strategies among Gang-Affiliated Chicanas. The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology, 11(2), Article 4. [View Publication External Resource]

Kolb, A. & Palys, T. (2018). Playing the part: Pseudo-families, wives, and the politics of relationships in women’s prisons in California. The Prison Journal, 98(6), 678-699. doi: 10.1177/0328855. [View Publication (PDF)]

Kolb, A. & Palys, T. (2016). Homegirls, Hoodrats and Hos: Co-constructing gang status through discourseand performance. International Journal for Crime, Justice, and Social Democracy, 5(4): 29-44. doi:10.5204/ijcjsd.v5i4.334. [View Publication External Resource]

Kolb, A. & Palys, T. (2012). Are you Down?: Power relations and gender reconstruction among Latina gang members in Los Angeles. Journal of Gang Research, 20(1): 19-32.

Race, class, and gender inequality in the criminal justice system

Qualitative research; sex offender treatment; race, class, gender, and crime; criminal justice system