Christopher Hartney is a senior researcher at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in Oakland, California. He has worked with the organization since 2001, and has two decades of professional experience in research and statistics. Chris' work at NCCD, funded by various federal, state, and local government agencies and philanthropic foundations, has included the national evaluation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative; bed space needs forecasts for youth tried as adults in Baltimore, Maryland and for juvenile justice-involved youth following system reforms in Arkansas; the development of a new approach to prison for young adults emphasizing intensive strengths-based rehabilitative and educational services in small secure facilities; a review of the causes and impacts of the decarceration of youth from California's youth prison system; the national evaluation of Parents Anonymous; the potential cost savings of alternatives to incarceration for non-serious adult offenders; a Structured Decision Making system for the District of Columbia; the interplay of media coverage, public sentiment, data trends, and policymaking with regard to youth violence in major U.S. cities; and a survey of health care access for system-involved youth in 58 California counties. Chris has authored several NCCD publications documenting disproportionate representation of people of color in the justice system and other issues in justice and corrections, including spotlights on women, Native American youth, youth under 18 in the adult system, and international corrections. He is co-author of several peer-reviewed articles and has presented study findings before a variety of professional, governmental, and community groups. Before joining NCCD, his research work included educational assessment and health impacts in communities exposed to industrial accidents. Chris has a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and has completed all master's level coursework in experimental psychology at San Francisco State University.
