Professor • Researcher • Author

Charles Bell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. Expert on school discipline, violence, and education policy.

Expertise & Roles

Combining academic research with real-world impact through teaching, consulting, and public engagement.

Published research on school discipline, violence, and the school-to-prison pipeline in leading academic outlets.

Subject matter expert on school punishment and violence for the CDC and National Center for School Safety

Author of award-winning books including 'Suspended' (C. Wright Mills Award Finalist).

Featured expert on NBC News, NPR, PBS, Detroit News, Al Jazeera, and other major media outlets.

Groundbreaking research on school discipline and its impact on students and families.

Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021

Punishment, Violence, and the Failure of School Safety

C. Wright Mills Book Award Finalist

NYU Press, February 2026

Disabled Children and Institutionalized Violence in America’s Schools

February 24, 2026

Finalist, Society for the Study of Social Problems (2021)

CAST Pre-Tenure Award, Illinois State University (2021-2022)

Midwest Sociological Society (2019)