Roundtable: Academic Contributions to State Criminal Justice Reform

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract/Description

In the last several years, a number of state sentencing commissions have been charged with reviewing, and recommending reforms to, the penal code. The commissions in three states—California, New Jersey, and Minnesota—have partnered with state universities for research support. In this roundtable, representatives of the research teams will discuss their experiences with these partnerships, both the successes and frustrations. Topics will include overcoming challenges with data access, producing useful memos with short turnaround times, and navigating political sensitivity surrounding certain kinds of reform, among others, all the while looking for opportunities to conduct more traditional policy evaluations.

Sub Unit

• Area XIV. Roundtables

Chair

• Matthew Mizel

Discussants

• Robert Apel, Rutgers University - Newark

• Mia Bird, University of California, Berkeley

• Julia Laskorunsky, University of Minnesota

• Molly Pickard, University of California, Berkeley

• Christopher Uggen, University of Minnesota