Welcome to the
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Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab

For more than 20 years, the interdisciplinary JJR&R Lab has worked to promote best practices in the juvenile justice system by more closely aligning juvenile justice policies and procedures with adolescents' developmental capacities.

​Improve Youth Outcomes
As a leader in the  field of empirically driven juvenile justice reform, the JJR&R Lab seeks to improve juvenile justice policy and practice to produce better outcomes for youth—to prevent arrest, facilitate successful discharge from the system, and place youth on more positive life trajectories. ​

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​Partner with Communities
All of the lab's work is conducted in collaboration with community partners—with courts and probation departments, police departments, school districts, human services agencies, treatment providers, district attorney and public defender offices, state agencies, legal advocacy organizations, youth, and families.

​Inform P​olicy
The JJR&R Lab drafts legal briefs and policy recommendations to stimulate scientifically based legislative and practice reform meant to protect the rights and well-being of youth involved with the justice system while also enhancing community safety.
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​Generate Local and Global Impacts
​The reach of the lab's work spans from local to global, with ongoing research and reform work performed at local, state, national, and international levels.

The Lab develops, implements, and evaluates juvenile justice policy and programming informed by research findings on adolescent development, procedural justice, and best practices. ​

Join the Lab

Dr. Goldstein and the lab are accepting applications for research assistants and for Drexel co-op students.

If you are interested in becoming a Postdoctoral Fellow in the JJR&R Lab, please reach out to both Dr. Goldstein and Dr. NeMoyer.

Dr. Goldstein and the lab are not accepting applications for JD/PhD or PhD students for Fall 2025.