Juan Del Toro

As an applied psychologist, I examine how ethnic-racial discrimination, identity, and socialization shape human development across the life course from childhood to adulthood. Specifically, I distinguish between multiple perpetrators of ethnic-racial discrimination (e.g., peers, school adults, and law enforcement) and ethnic-racial socialization (e.g., parents, school adults, and peers) to inform setting-specific policies and interventions working to improve the well-being of all youth.

In my research, I take multi-method, multidisciplinary, and collaborative approaches to investigate: (1) why distinguishing between perpetrators of ethnic-racial discrimination matters, (2) what are the direct and intergenerational consequences of involvement in the criminal justice system, and (3) what are opportunities (e.g., ethnic-racial identity, ethnic-racial socialization) that peers, educators, and families can leverage to reduce the harmful effects of ethnic-racial discrimination and unwarranted involvement in the criminal justice system on children’s wellbeing.