HIGHLIGHTS:

New Projects: Data Collection Ongoing

Project: Courts and Covid: How has the pandemic altered court processes and outcomes, as well as the work environments, practices, and decisions of people who work in the courts?

• Recruitment for phase I of this study is ongoing: Surveying court practitioners working in criminal, civil, family, juvenile, appellate, and other courts about the impact of covid in the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 through March 2021):
  • judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, civil attorneys, appellate attorneys, officers in juvenile court, court administrator, tech or data administrator, or state or local level administrator, juvenile counselor, juvenile caseworker or probation officer in juvenile court, social worker or non-attorney representative for a child in family court.
  • If you would like to complete this short survey (10-20 minutes), click here.
• This project is a collaboration with Dr. Kirstin Morgan (Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University)

GRANT-FUNDED PROJECTS (2011 – Present)

Criminal Justice Spanish Certificate Program (2020 – Present)
Position: Interdisciplinary CSUSB Sub Committee Member (duties: providing advisement for textbook topics, authentic material selection, curriculum implementation, course offerings, as well as assisting with community outreach and the development of promotional materials, project website, and evaluations).
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education’s Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program (UISFL)
Grant’s Project Title: Spanish Language Proficiency and International Experience for Criminal Justice Professionals
PIs/Co-Directors: Dr. Carmen Jany, Dr. Nerea Marteache Solans, & Dr. Maria Mayberry

Plea Bargaining: Court Observations & Interviews in Two Upstate NY Counties (2016 – 2019)
Position: Sole/Lead Researcher
Funding Agency: The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant’s Project Title: Rationales Underlying and Shaping Plea Decision-Making
PI: Reveka V. Shteynberg (University at Albany, SUNY); Faculty Co-PI: Alissa Pollitz Worden (University at Albany, SUNY)

Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA) Project (2015 – Present)
Position: Senior Research Assistant & Research Intern Supervisor,  Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, University at Albany, SUNY
Funding Agency: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Grant’s Project Title: “Early Intervention by Counsel: A Multi-Site Evaluation of the Presence of Counsel at a Defendants First Appearance in Court” 
PI: Dr. Alissa Pollitz Worden (University at Albany, SUNY); Co-PI: Dr. Andrew L.B. Davies (New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services).

The Westchester County Family Court Assigned Counsel Plan Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study (2017 – Present)
Position: Research Analyst, The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety
Funding Agency: The New York State Office of Indigent Legal Services through a grant to the Westchester Legal Aid Society
Grant’s Project Title: Westchester Legal Aid
PI: Alissa Pollitz Worden (The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety)

Police Interactions with Victims of Violence (2018 – Present)
Position: Research Analyst, The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety
Funding Agency: The National Institute of Justice
Grant’s Project Title: Police Interactions with Victims of Violence
PI: Dr. Robert E. Worden and Dr. Sarah J. McLean (The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety)

Supervisory Coaching, Body Worn Cameras, and Police Performance (2018 – Present)
Position: Research Analyst, The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety
Funding Agency: The Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Grant’s Project Title: Supervisory Coaching of Law Enforcement Project
PI: Dr. Robert E. Worden and Dr. Sarah J. McLean (The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety)

Yes Means Yes: The Practicality of University-Based Affirmative Consent Legislation (2015)
Position: Lead/Sole Researcher
Funding Agency: Karen R. Hitchcock New Frontiers Fund Award, University at Albany, SUNY
Grant Project Title: Yes Means Yes: The Practicality of University-Based Affirmative Consent Legislation
PI: Reveka V. Shteynberg

Understanding Guilty Pleas (2014)
Position: Graduate Research Assistant, University at Albany, SUNY
Funding Agency: The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant’s Project Title: Research Coordination Network (RCN): Understanding Guilty Pleas
PI: Dr. Shawn D. Bushway (University at Albany, SUNY) & Co-PIs: Dr. Allison D. Redlich (George Mason University), Dr. Brian D. Johnson (University of Maryland – College Park), Dr. Anne M. Piehl (Rutgers University)

Juvenile and Young Adult Plea Decision-Making (2011 – 2014)
Position: Graduate Research Assistant and Research Intern Supervisor
Funding Agency: The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant’s Project Title: Creating and Transferring Knowledge on Guilty Pleas 
PI: Dr. Allison D. Redlich (University at Albany, SUNY)

CONSULTING

Cayuga County’s Proposal for the Second Counsel at First Appearance Grant (2017)
Position: Grant-Writer and CAFA Consultant
Client: Cayuga County Assigned Counsel Program
Duties: Assisted with designing the delivery of CAFA, calculated the budget, drafted the grant application
RFP Funding Agency:  NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services
Amount Requested: $651,156.30 (full amount awarded)

Stereotypes and Deadly Force Decision-Making by Law Enforcement (2014)
Position: Research Consultant
Client: Dr. Mark Chaires (Former Schenectady County Chief of Police)
Duties: Research design consultation; participant recruitment; demonstrating proper firearm equipment use to lay citizen participants; setting up and running research study utilizing Firearm Training Simulation (FATS) equipment

ADDITIONAL POSITIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Research Lab Project Director, Modeling Decision-Making in the Legal System (MoDiLS) Lab, University at Albany, SUNY (2011-2014)
Principal Supervisor: Dr. Allison D. Redlich (University at Albany, SUNY)

Research Analyst, Control Risks Group, Los Angeles, CA (Securities and Investigation Firm) (2011)

Research Assistant/Intern, Hennington & Associates, Beverly Hills, CA (Trial and Jury Consultation Division & Diversity and Leadership Consultation Division) (2010)

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