Michael LaForest
PA Department of Corrections Postdoctoral Scholar Alumni
Websites:
Biography:
Michael LaForest was a post-doctoral scholar in the Criminal Justice Research Center. In this role, he worked closely with the Bureau of Planning, Research & Statistics at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Michael’s research focuses on ways to improve criminal justice and education policy and outcomes. It includes experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations of criminal justice and education programs, including evaluations of re-entry forums for recently paroled individuals who had committed a violent crime with a gun, an initiative to reduce anonymity between police officers and neighborhood residents via mailers and in-person outreach, and an individualized math tutoring program for ninth-graders below grade-level. His research uses both structural and non-structural estimation techniques. Michael holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia and a BS in economics & political science from the University of Michigan. Prior to this position, Michael worked as a research director at Crime & Education Lab New York, managing a combination of policy evaluations and technical assistance projects for several New York City government agencies.
Michael is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics in the U.S. Air Force Academy.