Bio

Joel Miller has spent twenty-five years conducting criminal justice research in both academic and policy settings, joining the Rutgers faculty in 2009. His work is international in scope, reflecting a career that has seen employment at the UK Home Office, the University of Malaga in Spain, and the Vera Institute of Justice, New York. He has conducted research on a range of criminological topics. His recent work has focused in particular on community corrections supervision, street-level police conduct and its regulation, and place characteristics and criminal behaviors.

Recent Grants

Miller, J. (Principal Investigator). Bureau of Justice Assistance. Newark Reentry Initiative (2016-CZ-BX-0009) October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2020. $1,000,000

This Newark-based reentry program focuses on providing a range of services to men preparing to leave prison, at risk of perpetrating or being a homicide victim. The research involved both implementation and outcome evaluation components. The research has been conducted under subcontract to the City of Newark, the lead grant recipient.

Miller, J. (Principal Investigator). Bureau of Justice Assistance. Union County Adult Reentry Program (2015-CZ-BX-0015) October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2019. $932,805

This Union County-based reentry program focused on high risk returning prisoners, proving services that included housing and mental health support. The research involved both implementation and outcome evaluation components. The research was conducted under subcontract to the New Jersey State Parole Board, the lead grant recipient.

Miller, J. (Principal Investigator) & Maloney, C. (co-P.I). National Institute of Justice. Probation officers’ compliance with the Youth Level of Service /Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI): A multi-level study of post-implementation practice across Pennsylvania counties. (2015-R2-CX-0015). January 1, 2016-December 31, 2018. $178,150

This research examined the implementation outcomes of risk/need assessment tool in juvenile probation within Pennsylvania. It used a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations and a statewide survey, and examined the character and facilitators of officer adherence to the implemented tool.

Recent & Key Publications

Miller, J. & Chillar*, V. (2021). Do police body-worn cameras reduce citizen fatalities? Results of a
country-wide natural experiment. Journal of Quantitative Criminology.

Miller, J. & Brey*, J. (2021). Shifting perceptions of a risk/need assessment tool: Exploring
practitioners’ adjustments to reform. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 60(3), 159-178.

Miller, J. & Harding*, C. (2021). Juvenile probation supervision contacts in a reforming state: Rise of the
street-level expert? Criminal Justice & Behavior, 48(3), 332-353.

Miller, J., Maloney, C., Harding*, C.S., Palmer*, K., Brey*, J. & Sandoval*, J.R. (2021). Assessing Youth
Level of Service/Case Management Inventory implementation outcomes: Lessons from five diverse
Pennsylvania counties. The Prison Journal, 101(3) 210-233.

Miller, J., Quinton, P., Alexandrou, B., & Packham, D. (2020). Can police training reduce ethnic/racial
disparities in stop and search? Evidence from a multisite UK trial. Criminology & Public Policy, 19(4),
1259-1287.

Miller, J. & Maloney, C. (2020). Facilitators of practitioner adherence to a risk/need assessment tool:
Hypothesis testing on a survey of juvenile probation officers. International Journal of Offender Therapy
and Comparative Criminology, 64(16), 1757-1778.

Miller, J., & Maloney, C. (2020). Operationalizing risk, need, and responsivity principles in local policy:
Lessons from five county juvenile probation departments. The Prison Journal, 100(1), 49-73.

Miller, J. & Palmer, K. (2020). Juvenile probation officer decision-making in a reforming state: Assessing the application of evidence-based principles. Criminal Justice & Behavior, 29(4), 472–492.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0093854820925112

 Miller, J., Quinton, P., Alexandrou, B., & Packham, D. (2020). Can police training reduce ethnic/racial disparities in stop and search? Evidence from a multisite UK trial. Criminology & Public Policy, 19(4), 1259-1287.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12524

Miller, J., & D’Souza, A. (2016). Indirect effects of police searches on community attitudes to the police: Resentment or reassurance? The British Journal of Criminology, 56, 456-478.  https://academic.oup.com/bjc/article/56/3/456/2462338

Miller, J. (2015). Contemporary modes of probation officer supervision: The triumph of the “synthetic” officer? Justice Quarterly, 32, 314-336.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07418825.2013.770546

 Miller, J. (2013). Individual offending, routine activities and activity settings: Revisiting the routine activity theory of general deviance. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 50, 390-416.  https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022427811432641