Bio

Jennifer Doleac is an economist and the Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures. She is the author of The Science of Second Chances, and host of the Probable Causation podcast. Before joining Arnold Ventures, Dr. Doleac spent over a decade as an economics professor, working on academic research on crime and discrimination.

Dr. Doleac is a leading expert on the economics of crime, and a vocal proponent of using rigorous research to inform policy. Her research addresses topics such as DNA databases, prosecutorial reform, risk assessment algorithms, and the unintended consequences of “ban the box” policies. Dr. Doleac’s work has been supported by several governmental and philanthropic organizations, and her research has been published in leading academic journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Review of Economics and Statistics, and the Journal of Labor Economics. She is frequently quoted in the media about criminal justice research and policy.

Dr. Doleac holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from Williams College. She lives in Houston, TX, with her dog, Chula.