Michael Light

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Department of Sociology

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Curriculum Vitae

Biography

My work lies at the intersections of demography, law, and stratification. More specifically, my research focuses on the criminological consequences of immigration, the links between immigration and punishment, and the relationship between racial/ethnic inequality and crime.

CDE Research Area Affiliations:

Demography of Inequality; Health and the Life Course.

Selected Publications:

Light, Michael T. and Avery Warner. 2025. “Does Immigration Enforcement Exacerbate Racial Inequality Under the Law?” American Journal of Sociology 131: 48-110

Light, Michael T. and Karl Vachuska. 2025. “Does Racial Bias Explain the Black-White Sentencing Gap across U.S. Courts?” Social Problems 72: 1280-1303

Light, Michael T., Jason Robey and Jungmyung Kim. 2024. “Citizenship, Legal Status, and Misdemeanor Justice.” Criminology 62(4): 655-703. 

Light, Michael T. and Karl Vachuska. 2024. “Increased Homicide Played a Key Role in Driving Black-White Disparities in Life Expectancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” PlosOne

Light, Michael T., Laura Boisten and Jungmyung Kim. 2024. “Did Immigrant Arrest Rates Change During the Trump Administration? Evidence from California and Texas.” Crime & Delinquency 70(12): 3182-3215. 

Light, Michael T., Jason Robey and Jungmyung Kim. 2023. “Noncitizen Justice: The Criminal Case Processing of non-U.S. Citizens in Texas and California.” American Journal of Sociology 129: 162-226. 

Jason Robey, Michael Massoglia and Michael T. Light. 2023. “A Generational Shift: Race and the Declining Lifetime Risk of Incarceration.” Demography 60 (4): 977–1003.

Light, Michael T. 2022. “The Declining Significance of Race in Criminal Sentencing: Evidence from U.S. Federal Courts.” Social Forces 100(3): 1110-1141.

Light, Michael T.and Hilde Wermink. 2021. “The Criminal Case Processing of Foreign Nationals in the Netherlands.” European Sociological Review 37(1): 104-120.

Light, Michael T., Jingying He^ and Jason Robey^. 2020. “Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, lawful immigrants, and native-born U.S. citizens in Texas.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/12/01/2014704117

Light, Michael T.,Ellen Dinsmore, and Michael Massoglia. 2019. “How do Criminal Courts Respond in Times of Crisis? Evidence from 9/11.” American Journal of Sociology 125: 485-533.  

Light, Michael T. and Julia Thomas. 2019. “Segregation and Violence Reconsidered: Do Whites Benefit from Residential Segregation?” American Sociological Review 84: 690-725.