Juvenile Justice Expert Vincent Schiraldi Joins School of Social Work as Senior Research Scientist

September 26, 2017 @ 5:29 pm

Youth justice reformer and innovator Vincent Schiraldi will be joining the Columbia School of Social Work in October 2017 as a Senior Research Scientist. Widely known for his work in changing practices and policies in juvenile justice and probation, Mr. Schiraldi brings incredible experience to enrich the School’s curriculum offerings and will pioneer innovative research on behalf of Columbia University.

Working closely with Social Intervention Group (SIG) and Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) leadership, Mr. Schiraldi will develop leading-edge training, research, and service programs to improve the well-being of persons enmeshed in the criminal and juvenile justice systems and transform current policies on mass incarceration. He will also be working to assist in:

  • the transformation and closure of Rikers Island;
  • the implementation of legislation raising the age of New York’s family court to 18; and
  • the creation of a more developmentally appropriate system of justice for young adults, through research and promotional efforts.

Since 2015, Mr. Schiraldi has been a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government where, as co-director of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, he focused attention on community corrections, mass incarceration, young adult justice, and juvenile justice.

Mr. Schiraldi also recently served as Senior Advisor to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Criminal Justice. Here he worked to reduce incarceration and increase fairness in New York City’s criminal justice system. Specifically, he aimed to reduce the number of unnecessary school arrests and suspensions, improve outcomes for young adults in the criminal justice system, improve conditions at Rikers Island, and raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to 18.

Before serving in this advisory capacity, Mr. Schiraldi held two senior government positions: Commissioner of the Department of Probation for the City of New York; and Director of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services for the District of Columbia. In both of these roles he dramatically reduced incarceration of the individuals in his departments’ care and dramatically reduced their rates of incarceration.

In addition to the experience outlined above, Mr. Schiraldi is the founder of both the Center on Juvenile Justice and the Justice Policy Institute, served on multiple boards, published dozens of research articles, and has years of experience teaching at universities across the country and in Australia. He is frequently quoted on issues of mass incarceration and juvenile justice in media throughout the country and internationally.

Press who would like to be in touch with Mr. Schiraldi can reach him by email at vs2637@columbia.edu.


RELATED LINK:

“Juvenile Prisons: It’s Time to Close ‘Factories of Failure,’” by Vincent Schiraldi on The Crime Report (26 September 2017).