EMILY SALISBURY

My academic training is as an interdisciplinary criminologist, primarily working in the areas of corrections, mental health, and gender. I feel I have a responsibility and professional obligation to share my knowledge with not just academic peers, but also practitioners and the many stakeholders in position to have direct impact on people’s lives in the criminal and juvenile legal systems. Moreover, I seek to amplify the voices of individuals ensnared in public systems that have oftentimes failed them. These commitments are reflected in the research opportunities I choose to pursue, the approach I take with my students, and the community engagement partnerships I develop. 

Much of my work investigating justice-involved women’s distinct pathways and needs involves an assessment instrument I helped create, the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA). I am the Research Director for the WRNA, which is the only peer-reviewed, validated risk and strength assessment instrument specifically designed by and for system-involved women. I oversee the central business, research, training, and development center for the suite of WRNA instruments and derivative works. 

As a result of my scholarship. I am often sought as an expert witness among human rights organizations on the issue of incarcerated women, such as testifying to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. I take my public servant role seriously, and believe in the ethos of public criminology, illustrated by taking on such roles as a Commissioner for Council on Criminal Justice's Women's Justice Commission. Additionally, I frequently work alongside correctional industry leaders in both government and non-profit sectors to improve outcomes on behalf of system-involved women and their families.

In 2024, my work on behalf of incarcerated women was recognized through the University of Utah Presidential Societal Impact Scholar Award, which honors faculty who have significantly contributed to public engagement and impact in non-academic environments to transform society.

I also have an established record of academic leadership by serving as the Editor-in-Chief of a major academic journal in the criminology discipline for five years, Criminal Justice and Behavior (Impact Factor: 2.801). The journal achieved a 1^st place ranking in 2019 on Google Scholar in the Criminology, Criminal Law, and Policing section.

In 2014, I delivered a TEDx talk behind the walls of the Washington Corrections Center for Women titled, "Judging Societies by Women's Prisons" alongside incarcerated women who also shared their stories during the TEDx. For the full slate of inside and outside speakers during the event, see this YouTube site.