Jennifer Lafferty, J.D.

Jennifer Lafferty is an expert in the criminal justice system and has specialized knowledge in sentencing, courts and corrections. In addition to her academic background in criminology and criminal justice, Ms. Lafferty has almost a decade of legal experience.

Lafferty is CNA's project director for the Prosecution Research Collaborative (a partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National District Attorneys Association). Her recent work also includes a staffing analysis of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and traffic stop analyses for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Lafferty has contributed to various National Institute of Justice research projects, including a randomized control trial of body-worn cameras in a jail facility and a review of COVID-19 responses in juvenile detention centers.  

Before joining CNA, Lafferty was a research assistant at the University of Maryland, a policy analyst at the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, an associate editor at Thompson Reuters, and an assistant district attorney in the Office of the Bronx District Attorney.

Lafferty is working toward her doctorate in criminology and criminal justice at the University of Maryland. She also has a Juris Doctor degree from American University, Washington College of Law; a Master of Arts in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Rhode Island.