Vincent Schiraldi
Senior Research Scientist, Columbia University School of Social Work; Co-Director, Justice Lab, Columbia University
Vinny is a Senior Research Scientist at Columbia’s School of Social Work and Co-Director of the Justice Lab at Columbia. At the Justice Lab, Vinny is working to assist in the transformation and closure of Rikers Island; the implementation for legislation raising the age of New York’s family court to 18; the creation of a more developmentally appropriate system of justice for young adults through research and promotional efforts; and research, convenings, and policy development on closing youth prisons and shrinking the footprint of probation and parole.
Vinny has extensive experience in public life, founding the policy think tank, the Justice Policy Institute, then moving to government as director of the juvenile corrections in Washington DC, and then as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation.
Most recently, Vinny was a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management. He also served as Senior Advisor to the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. Vinny gained a national reputation as a fearless reformer who emphasized the humane and decent treatment of the men, women, and children under his correctional supervision. He pioneered efforts at community-based alternatives to incarceration in NYC and Washington DC.
Vinny received a MSW from New York University and a BA from Binghamton University.