Criminology Alumna Combines Research, Practice in Juvenile Defense Role

ATLANTA — Jimmonique Rodgers (Ph.D. ’24) didn’t take the traditional path to academia. A lawyer by training, she spent several years practicing law on active duty in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps before transitioning to civilian criminal defense and appellate work.

Patterns in the cases she handled raised deeper questions about why people commit crimes and what systemic factors push individuals into the legal system. These questions led her to Georgia State University, where she earned a doctor’s degree in criminal justice and criminology while balancing a career in public defense and state government.

Now, Rodgers serves as the director of operations at The Gault Center, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing the rights of youths in the legal system.

Rodgers’ journey began with a bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration, which ignited her interest in how communities interact with legal and political systems. After law school and her time in the JAG Corps, where she worked on prosecution, defense and appellate cases, she pursued a master’s degree at the University of Baltimore, focusing on juvenile justice. There, she deepened her understanding of how structural inequalities and policy decisions shape the legal system, particularly for young people.

When her husband’s military service brought them to Georgia, Rodgers saw an opportunity to take her research further. She was drawn to Georgia State’s reputation for bridging research with tangible impact, which she deemed essential for her career.

Enrolling as a part-time student while working full time as an appellate attorney, Rodgers balanced intense academic coursework with her role at the Georgia Public Defender Council, the state agency responsible for Georgia’s indigent defense system, where she eventually became deputy director and later interim director.

The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of complexity to Rodgers’ journey. With the legal system in flux and courts partially shut down, she made the difficult decision to step down from her leadership role in the public defender’s office to focus on finishing her dissertation.

“My dissertation had to be carefully structured because, ethically, I couldn’t use certain data I had access to through my job,” she explained.

Instead, she focused on policy-driven research examining systemic disparities in the juvenile legal system. She says a number of professors in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offered support and inspiration that helped to shape her research and academic development, including Timothy Brezina, Volkan Topalli, William Sabol, Regents’ Professor Richard Wright and Department Chair Eric Sevigny.

While at Georgia State, Rodgers also had the unique opportunity to work outside of her department, collaborating with Georgia State’s School of Public Health on family treatment court models and the impact of parenting interventions on youth delinquency. This collaboration took place at the National SafeCare Training and Research Center, housed in the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development.

Today, she works on a national scale to ensure young people have access to quality specialized legal defense. She hopes to return to teaching in some capacity, turning her experience into advice for students.

“Georgia State is a gem in the city of Atlanta where you gain so much by talking to people and networking. Those connections you build are essentially currency as you move on in your career, and the school remains a cornerstone of my success,” she said.

To learn more about the Criminal Justice and Criminology degree programs at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, visit its website.

— By AYSPS Graduate Student Assistant Ayomidotun Olugbenle (M.A. in Communication)