D. Michael Applegarth

D. Michael Applegarth is an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo's School of Social Work, affiliated with the Buffalo Center for Social Research. His work focuses on the intersection of mental health and the criminal legal system, with a mission to reduce mass incarceration and improve well-being. Applegarth holds a PhD in Social Welfare from UCLA, an MSW from Brigham Young University, and a BSW from Brigham Young University-Idaho. He has held research fellowships with the National Institute of Justice and the Rand Corporation, studying recidivism and support programs for justice-involved youth.

His research interests include criminal legal system reform, mental illness recovery, community supervision, and desistance from crime. He has published extensively on topics such as actuarial risk assessments, trauma-informed reentry services, and racial bias in criminal justice tools. In teaching, he focuses on social policy, mass incarceration, and research methods.

Applegarth’s work bridges academia and practice, advocating for evidence-based policies to address systemic inequities. His contributions include co-authored reports on juvenile justice programs and the effectiveness of reentry services for individuals with severe mental illness.