 Ulmer's research typically combines the focal concerns perspective with the court communities view in order to study how court contexts shape judges' and prosecutors' sentencing and plea bargaining.A subtheme of Ulmer's work has been to study how U.S. state or federal sentencing policies, such as sentencing guidelines or mandatory minimums, are adapted (and circumvented) by local court prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys.Ulmer's research often mixes quantitative and qualitative data, and draws on organizational theory in sociology.