Matthew Denney is a political scientist who studies race, religion, and politics in the United States. His dissertation examines the response of Black faith communities to race and policing in America, with particular focus on the FDR era and the time period from 2013 to 2023. This research draws on interviews, focus groups, participant observation, quantitative analysis, and historical-archival research. He has also written on the historical development of policing, the effects of college-in-prison, and COVID-19 in detention centers and prisons. His work has appeared in Studies in American Political Development, Justice Quarterly, and the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law. He also has interests related to housing in America, community organizing, and churches. Denney received his PhD in political science from Yale University in 2023.
