Jaya Davis, PhD

Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas

Jaya Davis, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at Arlington. She received her PhD in Juvenile Justice from Prairie View A&M University. Her primary research interests are in areas of policing, juvenile justice, and incarceration and reentry experiences. Major projects include a longitudinal study of police hiring and retention, transportation barriers to returning citizens, lived experiences of women engaged in prostitution, and a multi-agency study of law enforcement perceptions of victims of domestic violence. Dr. Davis contributes her efforts to improve policing practices with The Bowman Group. She has served as the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Site Coordinator with the Annie E. Casey Foundation for Dallas County Juvenile Department.

Dr. Davis is a founding board member for Girls Embracing Mothers, Inc. (GEM) and Janie’s Angels (JA). GEM and JA offer programming and support to girls of incarcerated women and incarcerated mothers. She is also the past-chair of the Tarrant County Sexual Abuse Advisory Council (TCSAAC).