What We Do
We bring empirical research to criminal justice
Juvenile Life Without Parole in North Carolina
Our latest report will be released on February 11, 2019
Risk Assessment and Criminal Justice
How do criminal justice decision makers use risk instruments?
Read recent studies of risk assessment in sentencing in Virginia and a recent op-ed on how risk assessment should be implemented in practice.
Judging Risk, by Brandon Garrett and John Monahan
Judicial Appraisals of Risk Assessment in Sentencing, by John Monahan, Anne Metz, and Brandon Garrett
Fines, Fees, and Debt
What constitutional rights are implicated by criminal fines and fees?
Read a draft article, “Wealth, Equal Protection, and Due Process.”
Eyewitness Identifications
How do Jurors Evaluate Eyewitness Evidence?
Our Open Science Foundation site has information about a series of studies that we are collaborating on, regarding eyewitness memory, how jurors evaluate eyewitness evidence, systematic reviews of the literature, and statistical approaches towards eyewitness evidence.
Studying Wrongful Convictions
How do DNA exonerations occur?
The Convicting the Innocent resource website has data on DNA exonerations nationwide.
Improving Forensic Science
How do Jurors Evaluate Forensic Evidence?
As part of the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE), we are examining how jurors evaluate forensic evidence, participating in trainings for lawyers, teaching courses for law students, and collaborating with crime lab professionals on assessing potential improvements to practice. Recent publications include: How Jurors Evaluate Fingerprint Evidence, by Gregory Mitchell and Brandon Garrett. Comparing Categorical and Probabilistic Fingerprint Evidence, Brandon Garrett, Nicholas Scurich, and Gregory Mitchell, and The Reliable Application of Fingerprint Evidence, by Brandon Garrett.