Jennifer L. Skeem

Professor Jennifer L. Skeem is a distinguished Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, where she directs the Risk Resilience lab. Her work bridges behavioral science and criminal justice, focusing on violence prevention, decision-making within justice systems, and equitable justice reform. She has established herself as a leading expert in risk assessment, mental health policy, and interventions for justice-involved populations.

Her research interests span three interconnected domains: Promoting Safety and Wellbeing through improved violence prediction and prevention; Transforming Services and Supervision by analyzing justice system decisions and identifying effective supervision and treatment approaches; and Reducing Inequality by studying how institutional responses to crime deepen disparities and developing evidence-based solutions. She has pioneered innovative correctional services for people with mental illness and developed the videogame-supported afterschool program Playing for Change to prevent aggression among at-risk youth.

An analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on addressing racial disparities in criminal justice, particularly in pretrial detention and risk assessment. Her work increasingly integrates data science methods with behavioral science to develop more accurate prediction models while ensuring fairness. She has made significant contributions to understanding how environmental factors influence violence in institutional settings and how prosocial identity can serve as a target for youth justice interventions.

Scientific Awards:

• 2025-26 Faculty Research Award by UC Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE)
• Gold at the 2024 Serious Play Awards for un-TILTED! game
• Past President of the American Psychology-Law Society
• Member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mandated Community Treatment

Professor Skeem has delivered congressional briefings on violence prevention and consults with local and federal agencies on criminal justice reform. Her lab currently manages multiple significant projects including Playing for Change (funded by Arnold Ventures), psychiatric hospital safety initiatives (funded by the California Department of State Hospitals), and pretrial reform research (in partnership with Pretrial and Probation Services). She has mentored numerous students who have gone on to become researchers and practitioners in criminal justice and social welfare fields.

The Risk Resilience lab, under her leadership, has established strong partnerships with the California Department of State Hospitals, Seneca's Unconditional Education Program, Bay Area schools, and federal judicial entities. The lab operates with a mission to 'build resilience, reduce risk, promote justice' through interdisciplinary research that directly informs policy and practice.