James W. Meeker received his J.D. and Ph.D. in sociology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a full professor in the department of Criminology, Law and Society and is currently the Associate Dean for the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
He currently serves on the board of directors for the Public Law Society of Orange County and is a member to the California Commission on Access to Justice. From 1995 to 2001 he was the Director of the Orange County Gang Incident Tracking System, a cooperative effort between UCI and the Orange County Chief's & Sheriff Association, tracking gang crime in Orange CountyHis research interests include the sociology of law, criminology and applied research methodology and statistics with particular emphasis on policy analysis. Currently he is working on Geographic Information Systems and the application of this technology to the analysis of gang incidents in Orange County. In addition, he is applying this technology to the analysis of legal needs in the poverty community and the delivery of legal services by legal aid organizations. He has published in the areas of gangs, procedural justice, access to justice for the poor, legal services delivery mechanisms, domestic violence and the impact of criminological research on policy, and prosecutorial strategies against organized crime.
Selected Publications
- 2008 Meeker, J.W., Dombrink, J., & Song, J. "Perceptions About the Poor, Their Legal Needs, and Legal Services," Special electronic volume of Law & Policy of thirty years of key contributions to debates on law and policy (February) http://www.wiley.com/bw/vi.asp?ref=0265-8240#110 Originally printed in Law & Policy, Vol. 9, No. 2 (April 1987) Pp. 143-160
- 2006 McCleary, R., and Meeker, J.W., “Do Peep Shows "Cause" Crime? A Response To Linz, Paul, and Yao”(Critical essay) Journal of Sex Research, Volume 43.2 Pp. 194-196. Cited favorably by the 11th Circuit in Daytona Grand Inc., v City of Daytona Beach 490 F.3d 860 (2007) ftnt31
- 2003 Lane, J., Meeker, J.W., "Fear of Gang Crime: A Look at Three Theoretical Models" Law & Society Review Vol. 37 No. 2 June, Pp.425-456.
- 2002 Access Report Committee of the California Commission on Access to Justice (J.W. Meeker, Member) "The Path to Equal Justice: A fire year Status Report On Access to Justice In California," Published by the California Commission on Access to Justice (October)
- 2002 Meeker, J.W., & Vila, B. "Issues in Developing and Maintaining a Regional Gang Incident Tracking System." In R.C. Huff, ed., Gangs In America, Third Edition. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
- 2002 Meeker J.W., & Utman R., I-CAN!: Accessing Rights Through Technology A Study of the Interactive Community Assistance Network: A Kiosk and Web Based Self-Help Legal Services System Report to the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (May)
- 2000 Vogel, B., and Meeker, J.W., "Perceptions of Crime Seriousness In Eight African-American Communities: The Influences of Individual, Environmental, and Crime-Based Factors," Justice Quarterly, Vol. 18 No. 2 June, Pp. 301-321.