Kathryn Bocanegra, PhD

Dr. Bocanegra has more than 15 years of experience in community mental health, community violence prevention and criminal justice reform work. Her professional and research interests include community violence prevention, complex trauma and bereavement, working with survivors of violent crime and examining the intersection of the criminal justice system with urban neighborhoods.

Professional Interests

Community Violence Intervention and Prevention
Trauma Recovery
Criminal Legal Policy
Victim Services and Supports
Community-Based Research Methods

Teaching Experience

SOCW 536 Juvenile and Criminal Justice Policy
SOCW411 Multicultural Social Work
SOCW519 OCP Practice III
SOCW520 OCP Practice IV

Articles

Bocanegra, K., Gottlieb, A., Thompson, J.T., (2024, Submitted). “Perceptions of Homicide Clearance Rates and Willingness to Cooperate with Law Enforcement: A Community Analysis”. American Journal of Criminal Justice.

Bocanegra, K., Aguilar, N. (2024, Accepted and Forthcoming). “We’re Not Miracle Workers”: An Examination of the Relationship Between Community Violence Intervention Workers and their Clients”. Families in Society: Special Issue, Building Healthy Relationships to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan

McCoy, H., Bocanegra, K., Long, L. (2024, Accepted and Forthcoming). The Experiences of Three Vulnerable Black Populations: A Case for Anti-Racist and Transformative Policing Practice. Special Edition of the Multicultural Learning and Teaching Journal.

Bocanegra, K., Washington, D., Epperson, M.E., (2023) “Prioritizing Community Expertise in Decarceration Research: Exploring Social Capacity in Two High Incarceration Neighborhoods”. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research

Bocanegra, K., Epperson, M., Sawh, L. (2022). Exploring Community-Centric Decarceration Strategies for People with Behavioral Health Needs. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research

Dean, K.C., Richards, M., Bocanegra, K, Santiago, C.D., Scott, D., Zakaryan, A., Romero, E. (2020). Mexican American urban youth perspectives on neighborhood stressors, psychosocial difficulties, and coping: En sus propias palabras. Journal of Child and Family Studies. 29, 1780-1791.

Voisin, D.R., Kim, D., Takahashi, L., Morotta, P., Bocanegra, K. (2017). Involvement in the juvenile justice system for African American adolescents: Examining associations with behavioral health problems. Journal of Social Service Research. 43(1), 129-140.

Book Chapters

Bocanegra, K. (2018). Community Context and Mass Incarceration. Book chapter in The Sage Encyclopedia of Criminal Psychology (Morgan, R.D.)

Bocanegra, K. (2017) Community and Decarceration: Developing Localized Solutions. Book chapter in Smart Decarceration Initiative (Epperson, Pettus-Davis).

Book Reviews

Bocanegra, K. (2021). Review of the book Urban Gun Violence: Self-Help Organizations as Healing Sites, Catalysts for Change, and Collaborative Partners by M. Delgado. Social Service Review, Volume 96 (1).

Reports and Monographs

Bocanegra, K., Thompson, J.T., (2023). Life After Death: A Survivor-Centered Examination of Homicide Investigative Processes. Technical report prepared for the Joyce Foundation, embargoed draft available upon request.

Bocanegra, K., Buggs, S.A. (2022). Supporting the Frontline: Advancing the Science on Street Outreach and Trauma Recovery. Technical report prepared for the National LISC Foundation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Currently under review by BJA before public release, copy available upon request

Bocanegra, K. (2021). Between a Bullet and its Target: Street Intervention, Trauma Exposure, Professional Consequences. Technical report prepared for the Robert McCormick Foundation, Executive Summary available at www.streetsupport.org

Service to the College

Chair, Research Committee (AY 2022 – 2023)

EPC Committee (AY 2022 – 2023)Committee Member: Organization and Community Practice, Research, Social Work and Justice Systems (2020 – Present)

Service to the University

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Faculty Senate, University of Illinois Chicago (2020 – Present)

Service to the Profession and Community

Working Group Chair for Victim and Survivor Services, Chicago Mayor’s Taskforce for Community Safety (August – December 2023)

Co-Chair, Chicago Mayor’s Public Safety Transition Committee (April – June 2023)

Chair, Illinois Violent Crime Advisory Council (December 2022 – Present)

Member, Illinois Opioid Resettlement Taskforce (December 2022- Present)

Member, Taskforce on Long Prison Sentences, Council on Criminal Justice (January 2022- December 2023)

Advisor, Cook County Equity Taskforce, Cook County President’s Office (April 2021- present)

Member, Mayor of Chicago’s Research Advisory Council on Public Safety (May 2020 – present)

Member, Mayor of Chicago’s Taskforce on Gender-based Violence (January 2022- present)

Board Member, Restore Reinvest Renew, (2020- Present), Illinois Lieutenant Governor’s Office (September 2020 – Present)

BA, Vanderbilt University
MA, La Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid, Spain
AM, University of Chicago
PhD, University of Chicago

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of Illinois (2011)

Invited Presentations

“Campaign for Treatment Not Trauma” Panel Discussion, Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy. Nov. 29, 2023

“Creating Trauma Responsive Supports for Workers”. Healthcare Alliance for Violence Intervention. September, 2023. Chicago, Ill.

“More Than Boots on the Ground: Supporting Worker Wellness in CVI Practice”. Symposia Presenter. Giffords Center for Community Violence Intervention National Conference. June 2023. Los Angeles, Calif.

“What Exposure to Chronic Violence- Especially Among Children- Does to Human Health”. Panelist, Association of Health Care Journalists Summit: Reporting on Violence as a Public Health Issue. Oct. 27, 2023. Chicago, Ill.

“Gun Violence Research”. Panelist. Association of Health Care Journalists National Conference. March 2023. St. Louis, Mo.

“Supporting the Frontline: Advancing the Science on Street Intervention and Trauma Exposure”. Panel presenter. U.S. Department of Justice Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative National Conference. February 2023. Saint Louis, Mo.

“Racial Equity in Crime Victim Services”. Symposium Speaker. National Conference of VOCA Administrators. August 2023. Chicago, Ill.

Peer-Reviewed Conferences

“I’m Not a Stool-Pigeon: Challenges of Conducting Police Research in Community Context”. Presenter in a Symposium. Society for Social Work Research. Washington, D.C. January 2024.

“Supporting the Frontline: Advancing Science on Street Intervention and Trauma Exposure” Symposium Coordinator and Presenter. National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm Related Harms. Chicago, Ill. November 2023.

“Advancing Trauma Responsive Research and Practice in Community Violence Intervention” Presenter, Withdrawn due scheduling conflict with above conference. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Los Angeles, Calif. November 2023

“Government-Commissioned Social Support Systems and Structural Violence”. Symposium Coordinator and Presenter. Society for Social Work Research. Phoenix, Ariz. January 2023

“Promoting Behavioral Health with Community Partners to Reduce Criminal Justice Involvement”. Symposium Coordinator and Presenter. Society for Social Work Research. Phoenix, Ariz. January 2023

“Ecologically Integrated Approaches to Continuous Traumatic Stress in Communities with Urban Gun Violence”. Panel presenter. International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. November 2022. Atlanta, Ga.

“Between a Bullet and its Target: Street Intervention, Trauma Exposure, Professional Consequences”. Panel presenter. National Research Conference for Firearm Injury Prevention. November 2022. Washington, D.C.

“Between a Bullet and its Target: Street Intervention, Trauma Exposure, Professional Consequences”. Oral Paper. American Society of Criminology. November 2022. Chicago, Ill.

“Between a Bullet and its Target: Street Intervention, Trauma Exposure, Professional Consequences”. Oral paper. Society for Social Work Research. January 2022. Washington, D.C.