Jennifer Skeem
Professor of Social Welfare
Professor of Public Policy
Faculty Director
Jennifer Skeem is a Professor of Public Policy and Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a psychologist who studies the intersection between mental health and risk of involvement in the criminal legal system. Her work provides empirical guidance on efforts to prevent violence, improve legal decision-making, advance forensic and correctional services, and achieve effective and equitable justice reform. Her most recent work focuses on the promise of serious videogames for preventing aggression and promoting positive development among young people in urban elementary schools.
Skeem has authored over 150 articles and edited 2 books—including Applying Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending. She is past President of the American Psychology-Law Society and member of the. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mandated Community Treatment. Skeem has delivered congressional briefings on her work and consults widely with local, state and federal agencies on issues related to behavioral health, psychopathy, violence, risk assessment, juvenile justice and community corrections.
Sharon Farrell
Executive Director
Dr Farrell is the Executive Director of the Risk Resilience Research Lab where she has been since 2016. She works with the Lab’s Faculty Director to manage the daily operations of the Lab including managing the lab’s staff, coordinating the lab’s partnerships, and all stages of the Lab’s research. With a career dedicated to research in the criminal justice field, Dr. Farrell has undertaken diverse projects. Recent projects have ranged from a large, randomized controlled field trial testing innovative correctional services for people with mental illness, to a qualitative study on probationers’ experiences when adult fees were repealed. She is also currently overseeing the launch of a pilot study, as well as preparing for a random controlled trial, to test the effectiveness of a digital intervention developed by the Lab, to prevent aggression and promote prosocial development among juveniles at risk. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of California Berkeley and a PhD in Criminology, Law & Society from the University of California Irvine.