Biography:
Dr. Laura Beckman is a Visiting Scholar for the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and the Criminal Justice Research Center. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Shippensburg University. Her work focuses on assessing racial and ethnic disparity in courts, sentencing, and juvenile justice. Recent projects include a comprehensive examination of cumulative disadvantage in the federal court processing of immigration cases, a study on the impact of racial and ethnic segregation on sentencing in state courts, and an evaluation of disproportionate minority contact in Arizona’s juvenile justice system. Dr. Beckman received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. Prior to obtaining her Ph.D., Dr. Beckman worked in Pennsylvania as a Behavioral Specialist Consultant and Multisystemic Therapist and received a certificate in national service as an AmeriCorps volunteer.