ICCJ Welcomes Kanika Samuels-Wortley

The Institute of Criminology & Criminal Justice is delighted to announce the newest addition to our team, Kanika Samuels-Wortley, who will be joining us July 1st, 2020.

Kanika Samuels-Wortley’s current research explores Black, Indigenous, and White youths’ experiences with and perceptions of the police. Kanika’s research aims to gain a deeper understanding of how this ethnically diverse group of youth interpret their interactions with law enforcement and the role of policing in Canadian society. Kanika has over 10 years of experience within the Ontario youth justice system. She has held numerous frontline positions including an appointment as a Youth Diversion Coordinator with a Southern Ontario police service. In this capacity, she was responsible for all pre-charge youth diversions in a municipal region. Recently, Kanika published a comprehensive study which demonstrates potential racial bias in police youth diversion decisions. Forthcoming studies will provide a critical lens into the role that racial discrimination may play with respect to youth offending and victimization. Furthermore, by highlighting the lived experiences of young Black women in Canada, Kanika has published on the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence and coping strategies among this understudied population.

Over the last several years Kanika has been involved in various research projects including the Ministry of Children and Youth Services Inquiry into the Roots of Youth Violence. She has also been involved in the development and implementation of multiple qualitative and quantitative studies into youth violence and gang membership in Canada. Kanika’s research aims to advance critical race discourse in Canada through an empirical mixed-methods approach.

Kanika is currently collaborating on a number of projects including exploring race and racialization among incarcerated individuals, the policing of hate crime, and the surveillance of racialized communities.

Welcome Kanika!