School of Public Affairs

Paul Kaplan , Ph.D.
Professor of Criminal Justice
PSFA 181
(619) 594-2350
pkaplan@mail.sdsu.edu

Education
Doctorate,
University of California, Irvine.

Areas of Interest
Interdisciplinary fields of sociology of law, criminology, and most specifically in the sociology of capital punishment, wrongful conviction, and police culture.
Curriculum Vitae

Paul Kaplan is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Public Affairs.  He received his Ph.D in 2007 from the University of California, Irvine.  His research interests are in the interdisciplinary fields of sociology of law, criminology, and most specifically in the sociology of capital punishment, wrongful conviction, and police culture. After receiving his undergraduate degree in English and American Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor Kaplan worked for several years as a mitigation investigator on capital cases.  Professor Kaplan’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation.  His publications include articles and reviews in Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Law and Social Inquiry, Theoretical Criminolog, Contemporary Sociology: a Journal of Reviews, and Criminal Justice Review.  Professor Kaplan’s current research projects include a study of socio-medical discourses in capital trials, and an analysis of the charging practices of California prosecutors.  Professor Kaplan was born in Philadelphia, grew up in San Diego, and lived in San Francisco for several years before attending graduate school. His hobbies include epicureanism, heavy music, motorcycles, and playing and watching basketball.