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The ICJIA Research & Analysis newsletter is published quarterly and highlights the work of the Research & Analysis Unit. Over 30 dedicated researchers work to improve the administration of justice and inform policy and practice in criminal justice, victim services, and violence prevention.

The ICJIA Research & Analysis newsletter is published quarterly and highlights the work of the Research & Analysis Unit. Over 30 dedicated researchers work to improve the administration of justice and inform policy and practice in criminal justice, victim services, and violence prevention.

The ICJIA Research & Analysis newsletter is published quarterly and highlights the work of the Research & Analysis Unit. Over 30 dedicated researchers work to improve the administration of justice and inform policy and practice in criminal justice, victim services, and violence prevention.

The Research & Analysis Unit serves as Illinois’ Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). State SACs provide objective analysis of criminal justice data for informing statewide policy and practice. The Illinois SAC is affiliated with and supported by the Justice Information Resource Network (JIRN) , a national nonprofit organization that promotes collaboration...

Sharyn Adams is with ICJIA as a research analyst in the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation.

Jaimelee Behrendt-Mihalski is a Research Scientist in the Center for Violence Prevention & Intervention Research. In this role, she conducts research and supports the R3 program. In particular, Jaimelee enjoys working with direct service organizations to build capacity and strengthen data collection efforts. Jaimelee has a PhD in Community Psychology...

Lily Fahrenwald is a Research Scientist in the Center for Victim Studies. Lily earned her MPH specializing in epidemiology from Louisiana State University's School of Public Health. Her research experience includes COVID-19, monkey pox, HIV/STIs, mortality epidemiology, and applying infectious disease modelling to assess patterns of violence. Her internship was...

Alysson Gatens is a research scientist in the Center for Violence Prevention and Intervention Research. Alysson earned her MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, with a Certificate in Policy and Program Evaluation, and BA in Criminology and Sociology from the University of...

Fernanda Gonzalez joined ICJIA as a research analyst on the Safe from the Start program in January 2021. Prior to joining ICJIA, Fernanda worked as a research assistant on a systems evaluation for the Southwest Organizing Project. The project brought together mental health, healthcare, and social service providers to Southside...

Emilee received her master’s degree in Criminal Justice Sciences and bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Illinois State University. Before joining the ICJIA, she was a graduate research assistant, where she worked in conjunction with the Illinois State University Police Department on a project to reduce property crime on campus. Recently,...

Tracy Hahn manages criminal justice research that is sponsored by ICJIA. She has overseen research and program evaluations conducted by experts in the field and has worked with the Authority’s Federal and State Grants Unit to develop program performance measures, identify evidence-based practices and document program effectiveness. Prior to her...

Kyle Hucke is trained in Developmental Psychology with an emphasis on adolescent development. He has over 10 years of research experience evaluating programs focused on improving health outcomes, education achievement, youth development, and violence prevention in both Louisiana and Illinois. Kyle joined the Center for Violence Prevention and Intervention Research...

Thomas Johnson is a Criminologist and manager of the Center for Violence Prevention and Intervention Research. His research interests include interpersonal violence, prison programming, and the effects of emerging technologies on justice involvement, especially artificial intelligence. Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from DePauw University. He earned his master’s...

Dr. Amanda Klonsky is the new Deputy Director of Research and Analysis at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Previously the Research and Policy Fellow at the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project, she has conducted significant research on the impact of COVID-19 in carceral settings. Her forthcoming book,...

Timothy Lavery is the ICJIA research director. Tim has over 20 years of experience gaining insights from criminal justice data. His areas of expertise include police violence prevention strategies, police oversight and reform, and restorative justice programs. Tim has spent most of his professional career working at the Chicago Police...

Alex Menninger is a senior research fellow with the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation, where he is evaluating a multi-site deflection program. Alex has performed research in the areas of infectious diseases, climate science, and nutritional science. His areas of interest include issues relating to refugees, the LGBTQ+ community,...

Michelle Nowicki is a Project Manager with ICJIA’s Research and Analysis unit. She received her B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Law, Justice & Public Policy from Michigan State University, and her M.S. in Psychology from Arizona State University. Her primary research interests include juvenile justice, developmental psychology, and...

Idetta Phillips is a research analyst with the Authority’s Research & Analysis Unit. Idetta has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Northeastern Illinois University. Her areas of interest include adult and juvenile reentry, reentry program operation, community...

**Karina Polanco** is a Research Fellow working on an the evaluation of IDHS youth employment programs. received a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Florida International University, in her home city of Miami, Florida. She recently received her M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of...

Jessica Reichert is a highly accomplished and experienced researcher in criminology. With over two decades of experience, she had made significant contributions through her work at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, where she serves as a Senior Research Scientist and Manager of the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation....

**Anna Lucia Rizzo** is a Research Fellow working on the evaluation of police co-responder programs. She is originally from Los Angeles, California. She received her BA in Criminology from DePaul University and a master’s degree from UC Irvine in Legal and Forensic Psychology. She has work and research experience in...

Erinne Smith is a research assistant in ICJIA Research & Analysis Unit’s Center for Victim Studies, working on the [IL HEALS program](https://ilheals.com/). Erinne has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Cornell College and a master's degree in sociology from Middle Tennessee State University. Her research interests include human trafficking, reproductive...

Jaesok Son is a Research Scientist in the Center for Violence Prevention & Intervention Research. His research interests include the relation between the government and civil society and their cooperation in providing services such as crime prevention and welfare programs. Before joining ICJIA, he worked for the General Social Survey...

Nancy Sullivan is an ICJIA research fellow. She will work exclusively on police-led deflection research. Prior to joining ICJIA, Nancy was a field coordinator at Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities working on a juvenile justice program evaluation. She also worked for a background investigation and consulting company as a project...

Amanda L. Vasquez manages ICJIA’s Center for Victim Studies. She received her master’s degree in criminology, law, and justice, and a bachelor’s degree in applied psychology and criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Amanda has over 15 years of research experience and has conducted research on...

Jing Wang is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center of Justice Research & Evaluation. Prior to her role at ICJIA, Jing served as a Policy Analyst at the City of Chicago, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, and an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic...

Lauren Weisner is a Research Scientist in ICJIA’s Center for Violence Prevention and Intervention Research. Lauren has worked on a variety of projects, including an evaluation of the Pathway to Enterprise for Returning Citizens program and a statewide survey of police chiefs on naloxone administration. Her current work focuses on...

Katherine Wilson McCoy is a Research Fellow in the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation. She has research experience in areas such as racial disparities in the death penalty, evidence-based policing practices, and public-private partnerships in emergency management.  Katherine has been awarded the 2024 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Doctoral...

The Research & Analysis Unit serves as Illinois’ Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). State SACs provide objective analysis of criminal justice data for informing statewide policy and practice. The Illinois SAC is affiliated with and supported by the Justice Research and Statistics Association, a national nonprofit organization that promotes collaboration and...

Jennifer Hiselman manages ICJIA’s InfoNet System, a web-based data collection and reporting system used by over 100 victim service providers statewide. Jennifer joined ICJIA in 1996 as a researcher focusing on victimization, victim services, and interpersonal violence. She worked closely with ICJIA’s Federal & State Grants Unit to inform victim...

Read the Summer 2025 Research and Analysis UPDATE for research news and new publications.

Susan Alrifai is a Research Fellow with the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation, where she is conducting a program evaluation on police-led deflection initiatives. She has research experience in public policy analysis and program evaluation, focusing on developing solutions to improve systems that impact community safety, social equity, and...

Gabriella DeMartinis is Research Fellow in the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation conducting a program evaluation for the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Post-Overdose and Public Safety program. Gabriella earned an MA in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University and a BA in Political Science and History...

Nicole Hansel is a Research Fellow in the Center for Justice Research and Evaluation. Before joining ICJIA, she worked on various research projects examining topics such as racial diversity in jury selection, predictors of suspicion and guilt in 911 calls, and chronic illnesses. She received her B.A. in Psychology from...

Janis Sayer is a Research Fellow in the Center for justice Research and Evaluation working on the Chicago Youth Intervention Pathways evaluation. Janis has over 10 years of research and evaluation experience focusing primarily on behavioral health and public health topics. Previously, Janis held roles in policy and planning at...

Maria DiMeglio is a research fellow with ICJIA’s Center for Community Corrections Research, where she focuses on Adult Redeploy Illinois program. Prior to joining ICJIA, she worked as a research assistant at the Loyola University Chicago Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. Maria earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice...

Bethany Judson is a research fellow with ICJIA’s Center for Community Corrections Research, where she focuses on Adult Redeploy Illinois (ARI) program. Bethany is a licensed social worker and substance use counselor dedicated to supporting individuals caught at the intersection of substance use and incarceration. Her project employs machine learning...

Read the Spring 2025 Reseearch and Analysis UPDATE for research news and new publications.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is required by both Illinois state legislation (730 ILCS 210/3-5) and federal legislation (34 U.S.C. § 60105) to collect, report, and publish specific data on deaths that occur among individuals in the custody of Illinois local and state law enforcement agencies or as...

The ICJIA Research & Analysis newsletter is published quarterly and highlights the work of the Research & Analysis Unit. Over 30 dedicated researchers work to improve the administration of justice and inform policy and practice in criminal justice, victim services, and violence prevention.

Read the Spring 2024 Research & Analysis UPDATE for research news and new publications.

Read the Fall 2024 Research & Analysis UPDATE for research news and new publications.

Read the Winter 2025 Research & Analysis UPDATE for research news and new publications.

The Research & Analysis Unit serves as Illinois’ Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). State SACs provide objective analysis of criminal justice data for informing statewide policy and practice. The Illinois SAC is affiliated with and supported by the Justice Information Resource Network (JIRN), a national nonprofit organization that promotes collaboration and...

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is required by both Illinois state legislation (730 ILCS 210/) and federal legislation (34 U.S.C. § 60105) to collect, report, and publish specific data on deaths that occur among individuals in custody of Illinois local and state law enforcement agencies or as a result...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

The Authority's Research and Analysis Unit has amassed a large amount of data measuring the extent and nature of drug and violent crime in Illinois and the impact these crimes have had on the criminal justice system. To put this information into the hands of Illinois' criminal justice policymakers in...

Gun violence continues to be a major criminal justice and public health issue. This article provides an overview of one strategy to reduce gun violence—focused deterrence. The strategy has been employed in many major U.S. cities, including in Illinois in Chicago, Peoria, and Rockford. Overall research on focused deterrence strategies...

Drug trafficking constitutes a major threat to public health and community well-being. Multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, comprised of law enforcement officers in one or more counties that agree to pool resources, were designed to combat drug distribution and trafficking. Researchers evaluated 19 drug task forces in Illinois using quantitative and...