Identifying and helping troubled young adults
Elizabeth Cauffman is an assistant professor of psychology and social behavior whose research focuses on adolescent development and juvenile criminal policy. In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shooting, Cauffman and her colleagues evaluated approaches for improving safety at schools. Currently, she is conducting research to determine whether psychopathic tendencies change as youngsters mature into adults. Her findings could have significant implications for courts that try teens as adults. Cauffman is also working with the California Youth Authority to track the mental health of children in the juvenile facilities. She is a member of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice.

Psychological impact of campus violence on students, parents
Psychologist Roxane Cohen Silver is an expert in the psychological impact of major disasters – natural and man-made. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Silver studied the early psychological responses of students and parents after the 1999 Columbine High School murder/suicide. She also has studied the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. She serves on the Academe and Policy Research Senior Advisory Committee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, providing guidance to the Department of Homeland Security on social and behavioral science issues including the psychological impact of terrorism. She is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society.

Disaffected youth, violence and gun control
Elliott Currie, professor of criminology, law and society, is an expert on youth violence and criminal justice policy. His recent book, The Road to Whatever: Middle-Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence, explored the widespread culture of disaffected youth, and was based on interviews with American teens. Additionally, he can discuss gun control, juvenile sentencing and prison issues. His acclaimed book, Crime and Punishment in America, made him a finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction. Currie has offered assistance to the U.S. Congress, the state of California, the British Home Office and other government offices.