Jennifer Lafferty, J.D.

Jennifer Lafferty is an expert in the criminal justice system and has specialized knowledge in sentencing, courts and corrections. In addition to her academic background in criminology and criminal justice, Ms. Lafferty has almost a decade of legal experience.

Lafferty is CNA's project director for BJA's Prosecutor Research Collaborative (a partnership with the National District Attorney's Association). Her recent work also includes a staffing analysis of LASD, an assessment of a local police department and a traffic stop analyses for MCSO. Lafferty also contributes to various NIJ research projects, including an RCT of body-worn cameras in a jail facility and a review of COVID-19 responses in juvenile detention centers.  

Before joining CNA, Lafferty was a research assistant at the University of Maryland, a policy analyst at the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, an associate editor at Thompson Reuters, and an assistant district attorney in the Office of the Bronx District Attorney.

Lafferty is working towards her doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland.  She also has a Juris Doctor degree from American University, Washington College of Law; a Master of Arts in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Rhode Island.