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Heith Copes

Distinguished Professor; Director of CJ Honors Program
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(205) 934-2069
UBOB 315

Research Interests: Narrative criminology, identity and crime, qualitative research methods, visual criminology

Office Hours: T/W/TH 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.; or by appointment

• Ph.D., University of Tennessee

I am a sociologist by training; however, my academic focus in on studying those who engage in crime and drug use. My research falls within two primary areas: criminal decision-making and narrative sense making. One thread that ties these two bodies of research together is the use of qualitative methods. I use various qualitative methodologies to understand my subject matter, including semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations, and photo-elicitation interviews.

A large portion of my research addresses the criminal decision-making strategies of people who engage in various types of crime. I have interviewed people who have engaged in carjacking, auto theft, identity theft, bar fights, meth cooking, and drug use. My research in this area addresses such issues as motivations for committing their crimes, pathways into crime, techniques to enact the crime, and strategies to minimize risk. One of my larger contributions of this research is on how various aspects of decision-making (e.g., excuse making, risk reduction, social connections) contributes to people prolonging their criminal careers..

My other primary area of research involves understanding the ways that people make sense of their lives and crimes. This includes how they excuse and justify their crimes and how they construct social identities. My larger contributions of this line of research have been on elaborating on the identity boundaries people create to portray themselves as being “not that bad” when compared to other people. For example, my research shows how those who use drugs (e.g., crack and meth) see themselves as functional and as being different from dysfunctional users. By maintaining their looks, family relations, and mental states they can show how they are not like a typical crack head or meth head.

In addition to research, a large portion of my time is devoted to teaching. I teach various classes but most often I teach criminological theory and patterns in crime. It is in these classes that I am best able to bring in my own research to make the material easier to understand for students. Since coming to UAB I have been fortunate to win several teaching awards, including the Ireland Prize for Scholarly Distinction, the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Mentorship.

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