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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171434094-YO74Q3R3MER5RFBB0JXP/IMG_5552.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171425152-2LBEGKB69D1ND7OSVF16/IMG_5547.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1700165449163-QJDY86XL9XSYRHU95655/IMG_1593.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171396826-R1I4H751H9GMU8GIJ2V7/IMG_5041.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/1691171356976-TV5WT2ZF9ZC5D0QO4F55/IMG_8758.jpg Lab + Trainees https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/014fe14b-331f-4aa5-a5b5-ef2608985d9f/Headshot.jpg Lab + Trainees - Penny Lowe Penelope Lowe began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2025. She received a B.S. from the University of Roehampton in Psychology and Criminal Justice in 2025. Penelope’s interests include biopsychosocial criminology and justice policy, particularly in the interaction between micro- and macro-factors that impact decision-making within courts and sentencing. Highlighted Work P. Lowe, S. McManus, P. Asadi Zeidabadi, K.R. Thiara, R. Sumanta, E. Capelas Barbosa, and L. Hashemi. (2025). Black and minoritized women’s experiences of specialist domestic violence services in the United Kingdom (UK): A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. DOI: 10.1177/15248380251335038. Link https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/db2b35b6-8c26-4a4f-95e1-b21c01bb4a2c/badgephoto_cohen.jpg Lab + Trainees - Tova Cohen Tova Cohen began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2025. She received a B.A. in Religious Studies from Scripps College in 2020 and an M.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Alabama in 2025. Tova’s research interests include courtroom workgroups, jury decision-making and deliberation, pretrial release, and the future of online adjudication processes. Highlighted Work The Weight of the Last Vote: The Imposed Responsibility of the Pivotal Voter in American Juries, Master’s Thesis Project. Link A. Lankford and T. Cohen. (2025). Mass Shooters and the Death Penalty: An Exploration of Sentencing Outcomes and Changes Over Time. Crime, Law, and Social Change, 83, 30. Link I.A. Silver., T. Cohen, and J. Newsome. (2024). Juvenile Incarceration in an Adult Facility and Violent Victimization During Adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 97(3), 850-860. Link https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/c9c00988-ffba-43e3-94c4-d53dab259f61/Professional.PNG Lab + Trainees - Madison Baczuk Madison Baczuk began as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2024. She received B.A. degrees in criminology and criminal justice, communication, and philosophy from the University of Northern Colorado. Madison's research interests include neurocriminology, biopsychosocial criminology, morality and ethics, international justice systems, corrections, and prison culture, adverse childhood experiences, and child welfare systems. Highlighted Work C.M. Berryessa, M. de Vel-Palumbo, C. Caliman, and M. Backzuk. (2026). Honesty as a “Communicative Tool” in Sentencing: A Study of Judges from the U.S. and Australia. Journal of Criminal Justice, 102, 102575. Link https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/b22b5fc6-143b-4bd2-a07f-8ae3c0005ebb/Isabella+Polito+-+Lab+Picture.jpg Lab + Trainees - Isabella Polito Isabella Polito started as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2023. She received a B.A. in Criminology, Law, & Society and a B.A. in Psychological Science from the University of California, Irvine. Isabella’s research interests include how the justice system responds to offending and juvenile delinquency–and how these responses sustain racial and economic inequalities as well as impact intergenerational opportunities and mobility. She particularly focuses on psychological factors involved in decisions that contribute to inequities in the legal system. Highlighted Work I. Polito and C.M. Berryessa. (2025). Politics in Policy: An Experimental Examination of Public Views Regarding Sentence Reductions via Second Chance Mechanisms. Law and Human Behavior. DOI: 10.1037/lhb0000605 Link I. Polito and C.M. Berryessa. (2025). The Neurobiological and Psychological Nature of ‘Adultification’: Implications for Legal Decision-Making in Cases Involving Adolescents. In H.C. Chan & E. Svingen (Eds.), Youth Deviance, Crime, and Justice: The Neuro-Psycho-Criminological Perspective. West Sussex, UK: Wiley. Link https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/effc700f-4bde-4e90-8b83-3def6302daaa/IMG_2869.jpg Lab + Trainees - Emily Greberman Emily Greberman started as a Ph.D. student at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in Fall 2022. She received a B.S. from Drexel University in Criminology & Justice Studies and Psychology, and a M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Emily’s research interests include corrections and carceral relationships, comparative justice, the use of social media by criminal justice institutions, and public health/drug policy. Highlighted Work E. Greberman, S. Andersen, C.M. Berryessa, and J. Hyatt. (2025). The Importance of Social Dynamics in a Prison Environment: Learning from the Concerns of Incarcerated People. Journal of Criminal Justice, 101, 102537. Link E. Greberman and C.M. Berryessa. (2024). Drug Policy, Drug War, and Disparate Sentencing. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.884. Link E. Greberman, E. Kerrison, A. Chalfin, and J.M. Hyatt. (2024). Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy in US Prisons: Perspectives from a Statewide Survey of Incarcerated People. Vaccines, 12(6), 600. Link https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/ede3e2b3-ace0-462a-9153-c681d17c1ecb/Image.jpeg Lab + Trainees - Carolina Caliman Carolina R. Caliman received her Ph.D. from the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in 2026, under the supervision of Dr. Berryessa. She received her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and she is fluent in Portuguese (native speaker). Carolina’s research interests focus on courts and sentencing, particularly investigating the perceptions and decision-making processes of courtroom actors. Her research also examines the intersection of law and psychology within different stages of the legal process, especially involving mental health and individuals with substance addiction, and its impacts on sentencing and public opinion. Carolina will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of West Florida in Fall 2026. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/23a14101-cc88-47c8-9c12-971977ddd48e/Ashley+Balavender.jpg Lab + Trainees - Ashley Balavender Ashley Balavender was a Ph.D. student, under the supervision of Dr. Colleen Berryessa, and Part-Time Lecturer at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice. She received her B.A. in English Literature and Journalism from Brooklyn College. Prior to her studies, Ashley worked at the Center for Employment Opportunities, partnering with New York parole officers to help returning citizens find employment. Ashley’s research interests are on community supervision and the perceptions and decision-making of justice system front-line staff. Her current research examines probation officers' perceptions of remorse in their clients, specifically regarding the cognitive and behavioral development of young adults. She teaches undergraduate courses in Research Methods and Corrections. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/6503769a-f964-465e-afdb-6c583ac4d3ec/sandy-.jpeg Lab + Trainees - Sandy Xie Sandy Xie received her Ph.D. from the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice in 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Berryessa. She received her B.A. in Criminology with minors in Neuroscience and Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University and her M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania. Sandy’s research interests include neurocriminology, neuroethics, biopsychosocial criminology, law and responsibility, morality, bias and stigma, and mental health in the criminal justice system. She completed a three-study, mixed-methods dissertation titled "Perceptions of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Courts: Implications of Bias, Stigma, and Other Factors on Defendant Outcomes." Sandy won the first-place dissertation award from the American Psychology-Law Society in 2026. Sandy is now a Research Scientist at the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a2230bb9f07f5253447ff1c/791e66dc-97f7-4682-a1ae-4dcd163f355d/Picture1.png Lab + Trainees - Mia Thomaidou Mia Thomaidou was a postdoctoral fellow, supervised by Dr. Berryessa, at Rutgers from 2022 to 2024. She was funded by a Rubicon Grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to conduct a project that aimed to bridge the bio-behavioral and criminal justice fields and understand how science is used in criminal courts. Mia received a BSc in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Westminster, London and Oxford University. She also has an MSc in Neuropsychology and an MSc in Crime and Criminal Justice. She completed her Ph.D. at Leiden University, where she focused on the cognitive components of physical pain. Mia is now a Neuroscience & Society Fellow at the Dana Foundation. Her website is https://www.miathomaidou.com/. https://www.colleenberryessa.com/honors-awards daily 0.75 2026-02-27 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/book-contributions daily 0.75 2026-03-17 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/teaching daily 0.75 2023-05-17 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/legalmentions daily 0.75 2026-03-26 https://www.colleenberryessa.com/media-mentions daily 0.75 2026-04-02