Vera Institute of Justice

Jaclyn Smith joined Vera in June 2015 as a senior research associate in the Center on Victimization and Safety. Prior to joining Vera she was a graduate research associate in the Crime, Violence, and Victimization Research Division at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). During her tenure at NIJ, Jaclyn provided substantive and technical support to NIJ grantees and assisted with the strategic planning of the division. She also managed intramural research projects in the area of violence against women, including research on adolescent dating violence and victimization among Latina immigrant women. Drawing on her knowledge and experience conducting research in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, she played a major role in the planning and development of NIJ’s Violence Against Indian Women Research and Evaluation Program. Prior to NIJ, Jaclyn worked with a domestic violence victim advocate at the Montgomery County Police Department. Jaclyn is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, where she also earned a Masters of Arts degree. She received her BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington.