Laura Abrams, PhD
Inducted in 2020
Current Position
Professor and Chair, Department of Social Welfare, UCLA Luskin School of Public AffairsEducation
PhD, UC Berkeley School of Social WelfareProfessor Abrams’ scholarship seeks to improve the well-being of youth and young adults with histories of incarceration and multiple systems involvement. Using multiple methods, her books and peer-reviewed articles have sought to understand the contexts in which youth are confined, how young people develop their identities within these contexts, and how formerly incarcerated youth reenter the community and navigate the transition to adulthood. Her recent work on specialized populations, including younger children, commercially and sexually exploited minors, and youth with life sentences has contributed to state and local policy reforms that emphasize diversion and alternatives to incarceration.
