Can we better align officers’ decisions with policy to improve resource use, fairness, and safety? Focusing on two key decision points—supervision level assignments and technical violation reports—we identify gaps between policy and practice and help design targeted reforms to improve…
Can risk-based release policies improve pretrial outcomes, compared to unstructured judicial decisions? We analyze how officers and judges currently decide who to keep in jail before trial, then model the impact of a policy that would release defendants classified as…
How accurately can people assess their own likelihood of future self-harm or violence? We are studying the value of psychiatric patients’ self-predictions of violence, compared to predictions made by clinicians or risk assessment instruments. Statement of the opportunity Most people…
How do criminal justice fees, and their removal, affect people’s assets, experiences, and chances of success on probation? We are estimating the impact of fees and other monetary sanctions on peoples’ financial health, life experiences, and probation outcomes. Context &…
Does eliminating juvenile justice fees improve outcomes for young people and families? We are estimating the impact of financial sanctions (fees, fines, and restitution)—especially fees—on families’ financial health and youths’ probation outcomes. Context & movement toward reform Juvenile justice agencies…
Can an innovative program reduce violence and self-harm on inpatient psychiatric units? We are testing a program designed to prevent violence by changing institutional risk factors like authoritarian staff-patient relationships. Introduction and development In state hospitals, staff treat people with…
Racial Disparity in Federal Pretrial Detention: Trends Over Two Decades and the Impact of Risk Assessments This study, led by Christopher Lowenkamp (U.S. Courts), Jennifer Skeem (UC Berkeley), and Lina Montoya (UNC Chapel Hill), examines changes in racial disparities in…
un-TILTED! Wins Gold at the 2024 Serious Play Awards We are thrilled to announce that un-TILTED!, a video game intervention developed by our lab, has won Gold at the 2024 Serious Play Awards! The game, designed to help young adolescents…
Promoting Prosocial Identity: A New Pathway for Positive Youth Development We’re thrilled to share that our work on juvenile fees had been cited in The Imprint’s news article, “DOJ Calls on States to Eliminate Juvenile System Fines and Fees.” The…
Can a correctional group treatment program prevent re-offending among justice-involved people with mental illness? We are testing the impact of adding a group-based Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI) program to usual services, in reducing justice system involvement for people with mental illness.…
