Colleen Berryessa

Dr. Colleen M. Berryessa is an Associate Professor at Rutgers School of Criminal Justice, where she leads research on psychological and social factors affecting criminal justice systems using interdisciplinary methodologies. Her work focuses on three primary areas: public perceptions of sentencing policies, decision-making processes of legal actors, and motivations for punitive practices beyond formal punishment systems.

Dr. Berryessa holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania (2018) and a B.A. in Government and Mind, Brain, & Behavior from Harvard University (2011). She previously served as a CIRGE research fellow at Stanford University.

Her research examines psychological phenomena in legal contexts, including decision-making biases in sentencing, public attitudes toward punishment policies, and neurobiological factors in justice systems. Current investigations explore moral panic influences on drug sentencing, essentialism in legal judgments, and machine learning applications in case law analysis.

Publication trends show consistent focus on experimental criminology methods, with recent work incorporating computational approaches to analyze judicial decision patterns. Her articles demonstrate evolving interest in biobehavioral science applications in justice settings.

Dr. Berryessa directs the Berryessa Lab, supervising doctoral students researching neurocriminology, courtroom decision-making, drug policy impacts, and correctional systems. Current trainees include researchers examining biopsychosocial criminology, probation systems, and racial disparities in sentencing.