Jared M. Trujillo is an Associate Professor of Law at the CUNY School of Law. He teaches Constitutional Law, legal writing, and courses focused on the criminal and juvenile legal systems. Previously, he served as Senior Policy Counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, President of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, and as a criminal defense attorney at the Legal Aid Society NYC. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University School of Law from 2016 through 2021. CUNY School of Law - Associate Professor New York Civil Liberties Union - Senior Policy Counsel Legal Aid Society NYC - Juvenile Defense Attorney Hofstra University School of Law - Adjunct Professor His research and advocacy focus on sentencing reform , bail policy , solitary confinement , policing of LGBTQ+ communities , Communications Decency Act Section 230 , foster care , and decriminalization of sex work . His publications analyze legislative impacts, systemic inequalities, and policy advocacy within criminal and juvenile legal systems. Jared's recent law review article on sentencing reform (2023) explores multigenerational poverty reduction through legal system changes. His 2022-2023 essays address solitary confinement ethics, policing reform, and bail system critiques, reflecting ongoing engagement with media and policy debates.
Dr. Janet Garcia-Hallett is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice and specializes in research examining the intersection of race, gender, and the criminal legal system, with particular focus on formerly incarcerated mothers of color. Dr. Garcia-Hallett's educational background includes: Ph.D., Criminal Justice, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice M.A., Criminal Justice, Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice B.A., Cum Laude, Honors in Sociology and Psychology, CUNY Macaulay Honors College: Hunter College Her research interests focus on the detrimental impact of incarceration on communities of color and the intersectional obstacles women of color face throughout the criminal legal process. She examines how formerly incarcerated mothers navigate motherhood while confronting systemic barriers related to gender, race, and criminal record. Her work challenges traditional narratives about mass incarceration that have historically centered on men, instead highlighting the unique experiences of women of color who must perform motherwork under oppressive conditions of surveillance and marginalization. Analysis of Dr. Garcia-Hallett's publications reveals consistent themes across criminal justice, gender studies, and race theory. Her work demonstrates a strong focus on qualitative methodologies to center the voices of marginalized populations, particularly examining the intersection of motherhood and incarceration. Recent publications increasingly address public health issues within correctional settings and community reentry challenges. Her research consistently applies critical race and feminist frameworks to challenge systemic oppression within the criminal legal system. Dr. Garcia-Hallett has received significant recognition for her scholarship: 2023 ASA Ida B. Wells-Barnett Distinguished Book Award Multiple 2023 finalists and honorable mentions for book awards 2019 SAGE Junior Faculty Professional Development Teaching Award University of Missouri President's Award for Intercampus Collaboration Her grant funding demonstrates substantial research impact, including the Prison Research and Innovation Network ($200,000) and collaboration on a $2.8 million Arnold Ventures grant for the Missouri Prison Transformation Project. Dr. Garcia-Hallett actively engages in community partnerships, such as her work with Winning Ways Inc. to empower women in the community. Her media presence shows significant public engagement through op-eds in Ms. Magazine and Hartford Courant addressing critical issues like abortion rights for incarcerated women.
Todd Sorensen is an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), affiliated with the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts and the Economics and Business Management department. He holds fellowships at IZA (Institute of Labor Economics) and GLO (Global Labor Organization). Prior to UC Merced, he served as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (2014–2023) and an Assistant Professor at UC Riverside (2007–2014). His professional journey includes a visiting role as Visiting Associate Professor at UC Merced before his current appointment in 2022. Education: PhD in Economics, University of Arizona, 2007 Research Interests: Todd's work focuses on labor market structures , exploring topics like monopsony power and wage-setting dynamics; immigration , including its demographic and policy implications; and discrimination , particularly in criminal sentencing and labor markets. His research has been published in journals like ILR Review , Labour Economics , and the Journal of Population Economics , with findings cited in the U.S. Economic Report of the President. Scientific Awards: Fellow at IZA (2022–present) Fellow at GLO (2022–present) Advising & Grants: Todd has advised students across various levels but no specific advisees are listed. His grants and funding sources are not detailed in the provided text. He collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and maintains affiliations across UC campuses through his and his spouse’s academic careers. Labs/Teams: Engaged with research networks at IZA and GLO, focusing on labor market policies and migration studies. Active in collaborative projects analyzing immigration trends, labor market competition, and discrimination metrics.
Martin T. Wells is the Charles A. Alexander Professor of Statistical Sciences at Cornell University, with joint appointments in the Department of Statistical Science, Department of Biological Statistics and Computational Biology, Department of Social Statistics, and as Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research at Weill Medical School. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the ASA-SIAM Book Series and Co-Editor of the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Weill Cornell Medical College Research Interests span applied and theoretical statistics, Bayesian methods, biostatistics, clinical epidemiology, and computational biology. His work bridges disciplines like finance, legal studies, and health services research. Article Trends highlight advancements in Bayesian modeling, quantum cognition machine learning, tensor analysis, and misclassification correction, with applications in genomics, finance, and public health. Fellow of the American Statistical Association Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society Contributions include developing statistical software (e.g., rTensor), methodological innovations in clinical trials, and empirical legal studies on civil rights and the death penalty.
Sakari Melander is a Professor at the Faculty of Law , University of Helsinki, specializing in Criminal Law , with a focus on constitutionalization, Europeanization, and sentencing policies. His work bridges theoretical criminal law with practical legislative and policy challenges. Key research areas include EU criminal law, constitutional constraints on criminal legislation, and general doctrines of criminal law. He has extensive experience in parliamentary legal consultation, providing expert opinions to Finland’s Legislative Committees (e.g., on immigration control, anti-corruption directives, and digital evidence handling). Recent publications address topics like EU corporate sanction policies, constitutionalization of criminal law, and reforms in Finnish sentencing systems. His 2025 article in the New Journal of European Criminal Law explores balancing administrative and criminal sanctions in the EU. Scientific awards include: Hilkka ja Otto Brusiin Foundation Thesis Prize (2001) Magister Bonus – Good Teacher Award (2014) Primustohtori Award (2010) Year’s Teacher (2010) Year’s Opponent (2008) He leads research projects such as Criminal Law Under Pressure: Differentiation and Harmonization (2012-2015) and Assessment of Human Trafficking Sanction Practices (2021-2022), and supervises doctoral theses on criminal law topics.
Elisabeth Jean Wood is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University and holds a concurrent professorship at the Santa Fe Institute. Her research focuses on political violence, particularly sexual violence during war, civil war dynamics, and social movements. She is renowned for her work on insurgent transitions in South Africa and El Salvador, as well as her analysis of variation in wartime sexual violence. Wood has authored influential books including Forging Democracy from Below (2000) and Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador (2003). Her recent work examines the Myanmar military's sexual violence against the Rohingya, emphasizing ideological motivations and institutional frameworks. Wood teaches courses on comparative politics, political violence, and qualitative research methods at Yale. She serves on editorial boards for Politics and Society , American Political Science Review , and the Contentious Politics series. Her research emphasizes ethical fieldwork practices and transparency in qualitative studies, addressing challenges in conflict zones. Her work bridges theoretical contributions with policy implications for understanding and preventing conflict-related atrocities.
Megan Sweeney is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of English, Afroamerican and African Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan. Her research examines African American literature, reading practices in carceral settings, and autotheory through works like Reading Is My Window and the lyric essay collection Mendings . Her scholarship has been supported by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Ford Foundation, and Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Sweeney received the university's highest teaching awards including the 2021 John D'Arms Award for graduate mentoring and 2014 Thurnau Professorship. She serves as Director of Graduate Studies in English and Interim Editorial Director for Feminist Studies .
Danielle T. Cooper is an Associate Professor at the University of New Haven , affiliated with the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences and the Criminal Justice Department . She also serves as the Director of Research for the Tow Youth Justice Institute and Chair of the Criminal Justice Undergraduate Committee . Education Ph.D. in Criminology, Law, & Society, University of Florida, 2015 M.A. in Criminology, Law, & Society, University of Florida, 2011 B.S. in Justice Systems, Truman State University, 2009 Dr. Cooper’s research focuses on youths and young adults , juvenile justice policy reform , sex offender registration policies , and police-community dynamics . Her work emphasizes restorative justice , systemic equity , and prevention strategies for marginalized communities. Recent publications explore diversion programs , economic impacts of sex offender registries , and media narratives in criminal justice . Her awards highlight contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion , as well as leadership development . Scientific Awards 2019 Faculty of the Year Award 2021 MO-KAN-NE TRIO Achiever Alumni Award 2021 Faculty Excellence in DEI 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Vision Faculty Award 2024 RAND Pardee Fellowship She has secured grants for diversionary services and youth-police relations , and her media commentary addresses youth violence , census participation , and social justice .
Professor Marilyn Pittard is a leading academic in the Faculty of Law at Monash University, currently serving as Associate Dean Engagement. She has held numerous leadership roles including Interim Dean, LLM Director, and Associate Dean (Research), with a career spanning over two decades in academic administration and legal scholarship. Her research focuses on Labour Law, Employment Rights, and Human Rights, with significant contributions to understanding workplace relations, vulnerable workers, and the intersection of criminal records with employment access. She has secured grants from the Australian Research Council and other institutions for projects like The Other Side of Security and Living Down the Past . Recent publications highlight trends in employment law, including anti-slavery practices, redundancy frameworks, and digital-era workplace challenges. She chairs the Victorian Legal Admissions Board’s Academic Course Appraisal Committee and contributes to the Australian Labour Law Journal and Employment Law Bulletin .
Jakob Merane is a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich's Professorship of Law, Economics and Business, and a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute and Harvard Law School. He holds a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich and law degrees from the University of Basel, with additional studies in applied statistics. His research focuses on AI-driven legal enforcement, legal technology, and compliance-by-design approaches, leveraging computational and empirical methods. Merane's work includes developing tools like SwiLTra-Bench for multilingual legal translation and LEXam for benchmarking AI legal reasoning. He has contributed to GDPR compliance studies, automation of legal enforcement processes, and quantitative analyses of Swiss legal datasets. Awards include the 2024 Young Scholar Prize from the German Law and Economics Association. Teaching responsibilities include ETH's Law & Tech course since 2020, emphasizing AI regulation and interdisciplinary collaboration between law and computer science. Merane's research also addresses AI liability in medical contexts, digital advertising regulations, and ethical AI integration in legal systems. His work bridges legal theory with practical applications, aiming to enhance justice accessibility through technology.
Elizabeth Bernstein is a Professor of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Professor of Sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she has been a faculty member since September 2002. Her work bridges sociological theory with feminist analysis, focusing on the intersections of gender, sexuality, and political economy. Bernstein directs significant research initiatives including the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, a transnational collaboration among thirteen scholars examining gender justice in contemporary global contexts. She is currently developing a new book project titled "Imagining Immunity: Precarious Bodies and the Governance of Gendered Dis-ease," which explores immunological metaphors in understanding bodily risk and suffering. B.A., University of California, Berkeley M.A., University of California, Berkeley Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley Professor Bernstein's research focuses on the political economy of the body, gender, and sexuality, with particular attention to sexual commerce, sex trafficking, and neoliberal governance. Her work employs ethnographic methods to examine how intimate relations become sites of economic exchange and political regulation. She investigates how concepts of authenticity, freedom, and rights are mobilized in debates about sexual commerce and trafficking. Bernstein's scholarship critically engages with feminist theory, carceral politics, and transnational governance frameworks, challenging conventional approaches to sex work and trafficking that often reinforce punitive systems rather than advancing gender justice. Analysis of Bernstein's scholarly output reveals a consistent trajectory examining the intersections of gender, sexuality, and political economy within neoliberal frameworks. Her work demonstrates increasing attention to transnational governance mechanisms and their impact on intimate relations and bodily autonomy. A notable trend is her critical examination of how anti-trafficking campaigns often employ carceral logic that undermines feminist goals of gender justice. Her scholarship consistently challenges binary frameworks that position sex work solely as exploitation or liberation, instead analyzing the complex economic, political, and social dynamics that shape sexual commerce globally. Bernstein's research has received significant recognition through prestigious awards including: Distinguished Book Award, American Sociological Association, Sociology of Sexualities Section (2020) for "Brokered Subjects" Honorable Mention, Society for the Study of Social Problems Global Division Book Award (2019) Norbert Elias Prize, Norbert Elias Foundation (2009) Distinguished Book Award, American Sociological Association, Sex and Gender Section (2009) Her work has also been supported by major funding organizations including the Institute for Advanced Study, National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, AAUW, and Mellon Foundation. As a principal investigator along with Janet Jakobsen for the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, Bernstein leads a significant collaborative research initiative sponsored by the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Her grant portfolio demonstrates sustained support from major research institutions, reflecting the significance of her work in gender studies and sociology. While specific student advisees aren't listed in the available materials, her role as a full professor at Barnard College indicates extensive mentorship of undergraduate and likely graduate students in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Sociology. Bernstein co-leads the Gender Justice and Neoliberal Transformations Working Group, a collaboration among thirteen scholars working transnationally on questions of gender justice. This initiative represents a significant research collective examining how neoliberal policies reshape gender relations globally. Her work with the Barnard Center for Research on Women provides institutional support for this transnational feminist research network, facilitating scholarly exchange and collaborative publication projects that advance critical perspectives on gender, sexuality, and political economy.
Elliott Ash is an Associate Professor of Law, Economics, and Data Science at ETH Zurich's Center for Law & Economics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and J.D. from Columbia University, a B.A. in Economics, Government, and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, and an LL.M. in International Criminal Law from the University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on empirical legal studies using econometrics, NLP, and ML, examining topics like judicial behavior, legislative impact, and AI-driven governance. He has been funded by the ERC, Swiss NSF, and others. Research Interests: Elliott explores automation of legal decisions, text-as-data analysis in law, and the intersection of AI with legal systems. He develops tools like BallotBot and LePaRD to enhance legal transparency and public understanding. His work bridges law, economics, and computer science, with publications in top journals like the American Economic Journal and Review of Economics and Statistics . Teaching: Courses include Building a Robot Judge , Natural Language Processing for Law , and Big Data for Public Policy . He co-organizes the Zurich Workshop in AI+Economics and Monash-Warwick-Zurich Text-as-Data Workshops. Awards: European Research Council Starting Grant, Swiss National Science Foundation Grant, and multiple grants from U.S. and Swiss institutions. His work has been featured in NPR , VoxEU , and Georgetown Law Journal . Labs/Teams: Leads the Swiss AI Initiative's Human-AI Alignment team, collaborates with the CEPR on Political Economy research, and serves as an Economic Journal Associate Editor.
Lisa M. Jones is a Research Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Hampshire , affiliated with the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC) and Family Research Lab . With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in child victimization, abuse, trafficking, and digital safety. Education: Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology – University of Rhode Island (1999) M.A. in Clinical Psychology – University of Rhode Island B.A. in Psychology – University of Virginia Research Focus: Dr. Jones's research spans child abuse and neglect , commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) , human trafficking , youth internet victimization , and digital citizenship education . She leads multiple large-scale studies funded by the CDC, NIJ, WHO, and private foundations, focusing on prevention, intervention, and policy development. Current Projects: She is Principal Investigator on: A 5-year CDC-funded RCT evaluating youth-focused trafficking prevention education in Minnesota. An NIJ-funded quasi-experimental evaluation of Love 146’s services for trafficking victims. An NIJ-funded study on improving national surveillance of child sexual abuse in youth-serving organizations. Private RCTs evaluating digital citizenship programs like Common Sense Education and Google Be Internet Awesome. Publications & Impact: With over 100 publications, her work has shaped national and international discourse on child protection, digital safety, and trauma-informed practices. She regularly presents at national and international conferences. Contact: Email: lisa.jones@unh.edu Address: Crimes Against Children Research Center, 10 West Edge Dr., Suite 106, Durham, NH 03824, USA
Jamella Gow is the Rasuli Lewis Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bowdoin College, where she teaches courses on race and ethnicity, Black culture and activism, migration, policing, borders, and globalization. She is affiliated with the Department of Sociology and actively contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of Black Studies and migration studies. Her research centers on how race, Blackness, and immigration intersect for Black Caribbean migrants in the United States, particularly Haitians, Jamaicans, and Afro-Cubans in South Florida. She investigates the dynamics of racial and ethnic identity, inclusion/exclusion, diasporic politics, and the criminalization of Black migrants under U.S. immigration policy. Her work critically engages anti-Blackness, differential Blackness, and transnational solidarity. Her recent publications include a co-edited volume titled Modern Migrations, Black Interrogations: Revisioning Migrants and Mobilities through the Critique of Anti-Blackness (Temple University Press, 2024), and journal articles in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity , Ethnic and Racial Studies , and Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies . Her publications reflect a consistent focus on racialization, diaspora, and the socio-political marginalization of Black migrants. She frequently presents her research at major academic conferences such as the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. Jamella Gow has not been mentioned as receiving specific scientific awards in the provided text. However, her scholarly impact is evident through her publications and invited presentations. She advises and mentors students in sociology and related fields, though no named advisees are listed. Her research is collaborative, involving partnerships with scholars across institutions and community-based projects, such as her work with the Carrefour-Feuilles community in Haiti. She has also contributed to public scholarship through newsletters and book reviews. Her work is grounded in critical sociological theory and qualitative methods, and she is currently developing a book manuscript titled Black Migrants from Black Nations: Race, Blackness, and Immigrant Exclusion , which promises to make a significant contribution to the understanding of how racial, ethnic, and national statuses shape the lived experiences of Black immigrants.
Ashli Owen-Smith is a behavioral scientist affiliated with the School of Public Health at Georgia State University , where her research focuses on mental health disparities, suicide prevention, and integrative/complementary approaches for complex mental-physical health conditions. She works with underserved populations including refugees/immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and LGBTQ+ communities through community-based participatory research and mixed-methods frameworks. Her current projects are funded by CDC , DBHDD , and DPH . Education: Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences (Emory, 2009), S.M. in Public Health (Harvard, 2005), B.A. in Psychology (Smith College, 2001) Her research spans mental health , trauma , suicide prevention , and mindfulness-based interventions . Recent work examines telehealth adaptations for chronic pain and mental health, vaccine hesitancy in refugee communities, and social determinants of suicide . She leads studies on gender-affirming care and health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations. Key article trends include epidemiological analysis of suicide risk factors, COVID-19 impacts on mental health, ICD-10 coding for autism, and complementary medicine in trauma recovery. Subfields span telehealth , health equity , mental-physical comorbidity , and community engagement . Students she has mentored include C.A. Scarlett , T. Griner , and M.M. Sesay . Her work integrates public health policy , clinical research , and health systems analysis .
