Paula Maurutto

Paula Maurutto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and holds a cross-appointment at the Centre of Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. Her research interests lie primarily in the fields of criminal justice and punishment, law and sentencing, big data and AI, as well as risk, security and surveillance. She has worked extensively on the use of risk assessments and criminal records in the field of punishment and penal management.  Her current project explores how actuarial algorithmic decisions informed by AI and big data are creating new patterns of criminal justice governance.  This work pays particular attention to how bias is incorporated into these technologies, thereby, reproducing historical inequalities and discrimination.

In the area of preventive security and surveillance, her work questions the extent to which counter-terrorism practices and border controls erode fundamental aspects of justice and reproduce racial hierarchies.  Her contributions to urban security and social policies, includes research conducted in Mexico City to understand how urban social programs can operate to intensify, but also undermine, security for marginalized communities and women. Her book Governing Charities focuses on the intersection between the state and non-governmental organizations, specifically charities involved in anti-poverty and criminal justice work.

Dr. Maurutto’s research on legal innovations in Canadian specialized courts examines on how bail, sentencing, and case processing have collectively changed as a consequence of the hybrid approaches used in domestic violence, Indigenous, mental health, and drug-treatment courts. These projects have resulted in publications for academic journals and book chapters as well as invited lectures to the Ontario Crown Attorney Association, the National Conference on Indigenous Criminal Justice, The National Judicial Institute, and Osgood Hall Law School. She has also been an expert witness and written reports for cases involving criminal records and risk assessments.