Vera Institute of Justice

Ashley joined Vera in September 2011 as a research analyst for the Center on Youth Justice. Prior to coming to Vera, she worked in the area of adult reentry, conducting qualitative research and issuing recommendations regarding how homelessness was being addressed for individuals transitioning from the Illinois Department of Corrections back to communities. She also engaged in advocacy around removing barriers to employment for people with a criminal history. At Vera, she provided research support for the Brooklyn for Brooklyn Initiative conducting qualitative research and analysis in order to evaluate the implementation of the program. For the stop, question, and frisk research study, she conducted both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Additional research activities included creating research instruments, conducting interviews, and coordinating fieldwork activities for interviews and recruitment efforts. Through the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change Initiative, she helped provide technical assistance to Louisiana lead officials to develop a best practices approach for working with status offenders. Her primary interest was the role of social work within the criminal justice system and the impact criminal justice involvement has on the family system and greater community. Ashley has a BS in administration of justice from George Mason University and an MSW from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.