Dr. Megan Alderden is an Associate Professor and Director of the Criminology Program at DePaul University. Dr. Alderden received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice with a Gender and Women Studies concentration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining the faculty at DePaul, she served as the Research Director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority’s Research & Analysis Unit and the Illinois Statistical Analysis Center. Dr. Alderden joined the Authority in June with 16 years of research experience in criminal justice as an academic and practitioner. Dr. Alderden’s most recent research focuses on sexual victimization and issues in policing. She is currently a co-principal investigator on a project examining evidence-based practices in homicide and sexual assault investigation in Illinois and a federally funded study examining the impact of forensic evidence on prosecutorial decisions and court outcomes in sexual assault cases.

Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra is an Assistant Professor at Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker and also serves as Senior Advisor to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on crime victim and violence prevention issues. Bocanegra has over 15 years of community-based mental health and violence prevention experience and specializes in working with survivors of violent crime. She has published book chapters and articles examining the intersection of the criminal justice system with urban neighborhoods. Bocanegra has been appointed to several criminal justice commissions, including the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, the Mayor’s Public Safety Research Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Sentencing and Reform. Her current research projects focus on street intervention and trauma exposure as well as homicide investigation processes.

Loyola University Chicago's Center for Criminal Justice promotes fair, informed, effective and ethical approaches to criminal justice policy and practice through collaborative interdisciplinary research and evaluation, professional leadership development, and targeted projects designed to bring about systemic improvements in the criminal justice system.

CORNERS is the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science at Northwestern University. CORNERS leverages the transformative power of networks through a unique approach to research that combines engaged research and neighborhood science.

Dr. Franklin Cosey-Gay is the Director of the University of Chicago’s Medicine’s Violence Recovery Program (VRP) which helps trauma patients and their families by providing everything from wraparound care, crisis intervention, psychological first aid, social support, case management and connection to community-based social services. Dr. Cosey-Gay emphasizes a comprehensive approach to reducing violence, working in coordination and collaboration with community partners, researchers and experts in the field.

The Crime Lab at the University of Chicago designs, tests, and scales data-driven innovations to improve the public sector’s response to the dual challenges of America’s gun violence crisis and a criminal justice system that is not truly just.

Created in 1983, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is a state agency dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice. ICJIA works to ensure the criminal justice system in Illinois is efficient, effective, and equitable.

Dr. S. Rebecca Neusteter is the Executive Director of the Health Lab at the University of Chicago. Dr. Neusteter recieved her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She holds several appointments, including trustee of Friends of Island Academy, a nonprofit organization that supports and brings opportunity to youth during and after their time in New York City jails; Research Advisory Board member of the Police Executive Research Forum; and Research Advisory Committee member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Dr. Neusteter's research focuses on reducing justice system contact, disparities, and collateral consequences. She works to enhance public safety, civic participation, and opportunities to support health and vitality.

The National Opinion Research Center (NORC) is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization affiliated with the University of Chicago. NORC conducts social science research and data analysis, focusing on various areas like public opinion, health, education, and the economy.

David Olson is a Professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Loyola University Chicago, where he is the Co-Director (with Don Stemen) of Loyola’s interdisciplinary Center for Criminal Justice Research. Dr. Olson received his Ph.D. in Political Science/Public Policy Analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1997. Dr. Olson's research focuses on community and institutional corrections, gun control policy, and bail reform.

Dr. Andrew Papachristos is the John G. Searle Professor of Sociology, Director of Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research, and the Faculty Director of the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS). Dr. Papachristos earned his Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is a Chicago native and one of the world’s leading experts at applying network science to the study of crime, violence, policing, and urban neighborhoods. Papachristos has more than fifteen years of experience working in the area of engaged-research in Chicago having worked with community groups, state and local criminal justice agencies, schools, hospitals, city governments, and the federal government. Papachristos’ research and evaluation of Project Safe Neighborhoods, Chicago’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy, The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, and CureViolence have been widely cited and recognized as models for engaged research and evaluation in the area of gun violence prevention and reduction programs.

Created in 1983, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is a state agency dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice. ICJIA works to ensure the criminal justice system in Illinois is efficient, effective, and equitable.

Dr. Don Stemen is a Professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Loyola University Chicago, where he is the Co-Director (with David Olson) of Loyola’s interdisciplinary Center for Criminal Justice Research. Dr. Stemen received his PhD in Law and Society from the Institute for Law and Society at New York University in 2007. Dr. Stemen's research focuses on prosecutorial decision-making, case processing, and bail reform.

Dr. Joseph Strickland is a Senior Researcher for the UIC Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research and adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Strickland has over 20 years of experience in designing and leading community-based programs for community development, ex-offenders, youth, and community health. His research focuses on how Black males overcome traumatic circumstances such as incarceration, episodes of violence and social isolation. Joseph holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from University of Illinois Chicago, an M.A. in Social Work from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of General Studies from Roosevelt University.