NCJ Number
220109
Journal
Women & Criminal Justice Volume: 17 Issue: 4 Dated: 2006 Pages: 1-17
Date Published
2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article examines the personal life and professional career over the last three decades of Joan Petersilia a preeminent female scholar in the field of criminology.
Abstract
Joan Petersilia has been a significant player in criminology for over 30-years. Her career began in 1974 when Peter Greenwood offered her a job at RAND, a nonprofit research organization in Santa Monica, CA. In 1992, she became a professor at the University of California, Irvine. Her work is revered by academics and highly regarded by policymakers. She is able to blend the academic and practitioner world. She is able to speak to virtually any audience and for this reason; she is one of the most well known criminologists and corrections scholars in the world. She has published almost 100 articles and book chapters as well as books and monographs. Her work has primarily focused on improving the corrections system through program evaluation and policy-relevant research. Her primary interest has always been community corrections. In the late 1980s, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded a research project that she was conducting that evaluated 14 sites in 9 States that were implementing intensive supervision probation and parole programs. This study was unique and groundbreaking because it involved a true experiment with random assignment in the field and shaped the thinking of both scholars and policymakers. Notes, references