McNair Scholar 2020 Arleth Pulido-Nava
Arleth G. Pulido-Nava is a junior at the University of Minnesota, studying Sociology of Law, Criminology and Deviance with a minor in Public Health. Her research interests include the Latinx community, immigration, mental health, and the criminal justice system. Her research has focused on felony disenfranchisement in the Latinx community.
My dream is to earn a J.D in Immigration Law and a Ph.D. in Sociology where I research the mental health of immigrants & refugees and create social programs that better their overall well-being. I would also love to practice law and provide legal assistance to Latinx asylum seekers & refugees impacted by our unjust immigration system.
Research project
Lost Latinx Voters: Preliminary Estimates of Latinx Felony Disenfranchisement in 2020
Abstract: The Latinx community is the largest ethnic group in the United States, so it is imperative to understand the extent to which Latinxs are disenfranchised due to felony convictions. This poster shows preliminary data for the first national estimates of Latinx disenfranchisement- to be updated and published in a 2020 report for the Sentencing Project this fall. The numbers collected represent a preliminary estimate of state-level felony disenfranchisement and the repercussions it has on the Latinx communities. Preliminary results indicate that the United States continues to deny over 5.2 million citizens the right to vote, a 16.94% decrease since 2016. Despite recent laws re-enfranchising justice-involved people in many states, the US continues to disenfranchise an unusually high rate and number of the nation’s citizens. We estimate that in 2020, 2.29% of the voting age population is disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, a decrease from 2.47% in 2016. Among the Latinx population, 2.09% of the voting age population is disenfranchised. Overall, approximately 11% of all justice- involved US citizens who are disenfranchised are Latinx.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Chris Uggen is currently a Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight Professor of Sociology and Law at the University of Minnesota and a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology. Dr. Uggen obtained his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. His research is focused in crime, law, and justice with, “firm in the belief that sound research can help build a more just and peaceful world.” His current projects include a comparative study of reentry from different types of institutions, employment discrimination and criminal records, crime and justice after genocide, the health effects of incarceration, and felony disenfranchisement. He has authored many books and has been published in hundreds of journals and articles. This is Dr. Uggen’s 20th year as a McNair faculty mentor.