Matthew DeMichele
Postdoctoral Scholar Alumni
Biography:
Matthew DeMichele was the Justice Center’s first postdoctoral research scholar. Matthew completed his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Kentucky with emphasis in Crime, Law and Deviance and Political Sociology. His dissertation incorporated comparative legal studies and institutional theories with Max Webers’ typologies of law to offer an explanation for cross-national incarceration rate variation in the post-WWII era. This synthetic approach led him to suggest that there are ‘three varieties of Western punishment’ that fit into historically embedded legal approaches.
During Matthew’s graduate studies, he was employed by the Council of State Governments as a Senior Research Associate. In this role, his work focused on using social science research methods and theories to identify effective alternatives to incarceration. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles, numerous technical reports, and has consulted with government agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Matthew received funding from agencies within the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Transportation.
Matthew is currently a Research Sociologist at RTI International, Center for Justice, Safety, and Resilience, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.