Associate Professor of Economics Mike Mueller-Smith was recently named the head of LSA’s new Center for Crime and Justice Research, according to an article in the University Record. The new center will “harness data to explore the root causes of, and potential solutions for, the widespread challenges associated with the U.S. criminal justice system.”
This new appointment comes in the wake of Professor Mueller-Smith’s work with the Criminal Justice Administrative Records System (CJARS), where he has served as co-founder and director since 2016. The purpose of CJARS was to “transform millions of lines of raw data from thousands of jurisdictions into a unique, nationwide database that anonymously and securely follows the experiences of individuals involved in the justice system over time.” Now, the new Center, boosted by a $6 million investment from Arnold Ventures, will seek to promote interdisciplinary research and build evidence about the issues facing the criminal justice system.
Professor Mueller-Smith had this to say about the new Center: “The goal is to move from being an academic research project to becoming an institution in the United States that’s internationally recognized as the leader in this space…[i]t’s a public service that academics are pursuing that has no agenda but to make our country a better place.”
Please join us in congratulating Professor Mueller-Smith on his new appointment. For more information, you can read the full Record article linked above.
