Vera Institute of Justice

Sandra Villalobos Agudelo joined Vera in July 2010 as a research associate for the Family Justice Program. Sandra’s work has focused on designing and conducting research focused on the positive impacts of family support on different outcomes for individuals involved in the justice system. Recently Sandra has been working with the Council for Juvenile Correctional Administrators developing and testing a set of family standards to inform how juvenile correctional facilities and programs are engaging families in their work with youth. Prior to joining Vera, Sandra consulted for NYC Department of Juvenile Justice, developing performance indicators to monitor the performance of case management functions. She also evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral modification program for disadvantaged youth at the nonprofit organization Leake and Watts; the project aimed to reduce delinquent behavior while rewarding socially responsible behavior. Before immigrating to the United States, Sandra assisted in the implementation of Bogotá’s LGBT public policies, training public and private organizations about sexual diversity. She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and a Master of Science in urban policy analysis and management from The New School for Public Engagement.