Leah Jacobs earned a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Justice

Leah Jacobs, assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, received nearly $1 million in funding from the National Institute of Justice to study the impact a law enforcement training program.

Jacobs’ project will evaluate Effective Youth Interactions, a program seeking to improve officer-youth interactions, reduce youth entry into legal systems and address racial disproportionality in youth legal system involvement. She’ll increase knowledge on policing practices and promote racial equity as she studies how the program has been implemented at 21 police departments in one California county.

A former case manager, program planner and evaluator, and community organizer, Jacobs’ research focuses on socio-structural risk factors for criminal justice involvement among members of vulnerable communities. She’s the principal investigator for From Cell Blocks to City Blocks, a study examining the way in which neighborhood risk/protective factors and behavioral health treatment affect recidivism among probationers.