The Center for Evidence-Based Corrections taps the research power of the University of California to evaluate juvenile and adult prison programs – including rehabilitation, parole and reentry programs – and to provide information that helps corrections officials make policy decisions based on scientific evidence. The center conducts research addressing criminal policy questions relevant to California and collaborates with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to evaluate their programs. Current projects included evaluating the effectiveness of GPS monitoring programs for high-risk sex offenders. For more information, visit http://ucicorrections.seweb.uci.edu/node/20.

Rehabilitating Prisoners: Reentry and Parole Practices

Joan Petersilia, professor of criminology, law and society, is the director of the Center for Evidence-Based Corrections. She has directed major studies evaluating policies and programs related to policing, sentencing, juvenile justice and corrections. For two years she advised outgoing state Corrections Secretary Roderick Hickman on his plans to reform the state’s juvenile justice and adult prison system. She is author of When Prisoners Come Home: Prisoner Parole and Reentry. She has served as president of both the American Society of Criminology and of the Association of Criminal Justice Research in California. Petersilia can be reached at (949) 824-6438 or jrpeters@uci.edu.
Additional contact: Christine Byrd at (949) 824-9055 or cbyrd@uci.edu

Measuring the Effectiveness of Corrections Programs

Susan Turner, professor of criminology, law and society and assistant director of the Center for Evidence-Based Corrections, is leading a study evaluating the use of GPS monitoring for high-risk sex offenders in San Diego County. She has lead a variety of research projects, including studies on racial disparity, field experiments of private sector alternatives for serious juvenile offenders, work release, day fines, and a 14-site evaluation of intensive supervision probation. Turner’s areas of expertise include the design and implementation of randomized field experiments and research collaborations with state and local justice agencies. Turner can be reached at (949) 824-6130 or sfturner@uci.edu.
Additional contact: Christine Byrd at (949) 824-9055 or cbyrd@uci.edu

Center for Evidence-Based Corrections

Laura Rico
949-824-9055
lrico@uci.edu