About Dr. Charles Bell
Biography
Dr. Charles Bell is an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. His research explores students’, parents’, and teachers’ perceptions of out-of-school suspension, restraint, seclusion; school safety measures; and law enforcement officers.
His work has been published in several scholarly and public engagement outlets such as Urban Education, Children and Youth Services Review, Journal of Crime and Justice, The Conversation, Sociology Compass, Kappan, and more.
The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) selected his book Suspended: Punishment, Violence, and the Failure of School Safety(Johns Hopkins Press, 2021) as a finalist for the 2021 C. Wright Mills Book Award.
Media & Expertise
Dr. Bell has been interviewed and cited by several news outlets such as NBC News, NPR, PBS, WGLT, Atlanta Black Star, Detroit News, WCBU Peoria, WMBD Central Illinois, and Al Jazeera.
He has also served as a subject matter expert on school discipline, violence, and public health projects with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for School Safety.
Dr. Bell has used his expertise to work as an expert witness in state and federal school punishment cases.
New Scholarship
His second book, No Restraint: Disabled Children & Institutionalized Violence in America’s Schools, investigates how school restraint and seclusion affect families of children with disabilities. New York University Press published No Restraint on February 24, 2026.
Teaching
Professor Bell teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on corrections, race, crime, school punishment, and violence.
As a first-generation college graduate, he is deeply committed to mentoring students. He regularly shares his experiences growing up in poverty in Detroit, as well as his journey to earning a Ph.D.
Awards & Recognition
C. Wright Mills Award Finalist
Society for the Study of Social Problems
Outstanding Teacher Award (Pre-Tenure)
CAST, Illinois State University
Research Grant
Midwest Sociological Society
Summer Research Initiative
ISU African American Studies
Research Interests
Race
School Punishment
School Violence
Restraint and Seclusion
Disability Studies
School-to-Prison Pipeline
Zero Tolerance Policies
Education Policy
Criminal Justice
Social Justice