Lallen Johnson is associate director of the Research and Action Center at Impact Justice. In that role he collaborates with an innovative team of investigators to evaluate program initiatives, develop research inquiries, and build capacity to reduce the harms commonly associated with the criminal legal system.
Prior to arriving at Impact Justice, Lallen spent over a decade as a university professor and researcher of crime, justice, and inequality. His expertise includes quantitative methodologies and the use of geographic information systems to address why and how the risk of system contact varies across urban spaces. Toward that goal, he strongly believes that who you are and where you live should not shape your exposure to consequential social and institutional conditions.
He has a track record of working with local and federal organizations to improve criminal legal system outcomes, particularly for minoritized groups. Some of his public-facing work has included serving as a statistical expert to analyze racial and ethnic disparities in police investigatory stops and frisks in Chicago. His research also has been used to challenge the legality of transit fare evasion citation practices in Southern California.
Lallen holds a PhD in criminal justice from Temple University and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. His professional memberships include the Society for the Study of Social Problems; American Society of Criminology; Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences; and the Racial Democracy, Crime and Justice Network.