Expertise
Courts, Pre-trial, Mixed Methods
Biography
Luis C. Torres joined the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University as a postdoctoral fellow in 2022 and began as faculty in 2024. Before joining Temple University, Dr. Torres completed his PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri—St. Louis in 2022. He earned his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University—Newark, School of Criminal Justice. His dissertation work examined how various characteristics of courtroom workgroups influence the efficiency of the court process and judicial pre-trial detention decisions. Further, the study explores the relationship between court efficiency and case decisions.
Dr. Torres’s research primarily focuses in the areas of criminal courts, pre-trial proceedings, judicial decision-making, and courtroom workgroups. While doing so, he is interested in how factors beyond the conventional legal and non-legal typically examined in court studies influence courtroom processes and decision-making. His work has been published in several different peer-reviewed journals, including Criminal Justice and Behavior, Journal of Crime and Justice, and Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice.
Courses Taught
- Criminal Courts & Criminal Justice