Areas of Interest
Evidence-based crime and justice policy, implementation of change in criminal justice agencies, federal policy-making, and state and local criminal justice programs.
Current Projects
Laurie Robinson directs the Forum on Crime & Justice, which holds periodic luncheon briefings for Washington policymakers on research-based developments in addressing crime. She maintains a network of Executive Branch and Capitol Hill contacts, and appears before Congress to testify regarding federal support for crime research and statistics, and federal criminal justice assistance to states and localities. She chairs the Vera Institute of Justice Board of Trustees and sits on numerous other boards (see below).
Positions Held
1979-1993: Director, American Bar Association Section of Criminal Justice
1993-2000: Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice
2001-present: Distinguished Senior Scholar for the Program on Crime Policy, University of Pennsylvania’s Jerry Lee Center of Criminology
2003-present: Director, Master of Science Program, Department of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania
Honors, Professional Awards and Representative Boards
Presidential appointment and confirmation by United States Senate, 1994
Edmond J. Randolph Award presented by the Attorney General of the United States for Outstanding Service to the Department of Justice, 2000
Roscoe Pound Award from National Council on Crime & Delinquency, 1997
Chair, Vera Institute Board of Trustees, 2006 to present; Board member, 2001 to present
Chair, Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Advisory Board, George Mason University, 2008-present
Vice-Chair, George Mason University Administration of Justice Program Advisory Board, 2000 to present
Police Foundation Board of Directors, 2002 to present
RAND Criminal Justice Program Advisory Board, 2001-2002
National Center for Victims of Crime Board of Directors, 2000 to present
Constitution Project Board of Directors, 2000 to present
National Commission on Forensic Science and Public Policy (American Judicature Society), 2005 to present
Commission on Safety & Abuse in America’s Prisons, 2005-2006
“Federal Sentencing Reporter” Advisory Board, 1991 to present
Chair, American Society of Criminology National Policy Committee, 2001-2002
Principal, Council for Excellence in Government, 2005-2006
Representative Publications
Robinson, L., "Restoring Federal Leadership on Crime Policy," Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 20., No. 5. (June, 2008).
Robinson, L., “Commentary on McCoy -- Problem-Solving Courts,” American Criminal Law Review, Vol. 40., No. 4 (Fall, 2003).
Robinson, L., “The Future Federal Role in State and Local Criminal Justice Assistance: Gazing into the Legislative Crystal Ball,” Corrections Today (December, 2002).
Travis, J., Robinson, L., Solomon, A., “Prisoner Reentry: Issues for Practice and Policy,” Criminal Justice (Spring, 2002).
Robinson, L., and Travis, J., “Managing Prisoner Reentry for Public Safety,” Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 12, No. 5 (March/April 2000).
Robinson, L., “Sex Offender Recidivism: A Challenge for the Court,” Court Review (Journal of the American Judges Association) (Spring, 1999).
Robinson, L., “Prison Policy,” Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 5, No. 4 (January/February 1993)
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