Biography
Jennifer Peck’s research centers on the juvenile justice system and the processes that shape how young people are treated within justice institutions. She studies decision-making across stages of juvenile court processing, investigating how legal factors, individual characteristics, and community conditions influence detention, adjudication and disposition (sentencing) outcomes. Her work often draws on large-scale administrative data to examine how institutional court practices operate across jurisdictions and over time.
A major line of inquiry in her scholarship addresses patterned differences in how cases are processed for youth from different backgrounds. Peck analyzes how demographic characteristics, offense severity, prior system contact, and other contextual factors interact with the discretionary decisions of justice system actors. By examining these dynamics across various settings, her research sheds light on how variation in case outcomes can emerge through routine practices within courts and related institutions.
Peck also investigates the connections between schools and the juvenile justice system. Her work explores how disciplinary policies, school climate, and school-based arrests contribute to juvenile court contact and shape young people’s pathways into formal system involvement. Through this research, she aims to inform policies and practices that promote fair and consistent treatment for youth navigating the justice system.
- Department
- Criminal Justice
