Debbie A. Mukamal, Director

Debbie A. Mukamal joined John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City in February 2005 to develop and direct its Prisoner Reentry Institute within the Office of Continuing and Professional Studies. The mission of the Prisoner Reentry Institute is to spur innovation and improve practice in the field of reentry by fostering effective partnerships between criminal justice and non-criminal justice disciplines; advancing knowledge; and translating research into effective policy and service delivery.

Until January 2005, Ms. Mukamal served as a Staff Attorney at the Legal Action Center where she conducted trainings, provided technical assistance, and wrote articles and other reports on a range of issues affecting individuals with criminal histories. Ms. Mukamal founded and directed the Center’s National H.I.R.E. Network, a national clearinghouse for information and related to the employment of people with criminal records. In addition, Ms. Mukamal co-authored “After Prison: Roadblocks to Reentry, A Report on State Legal Barriers Facing People with Criminal Records,” the first-ever comprehensive study of the legal barriers in all 50 states that people with criminal records must overcome in order to lead productive, law-abiding lives and successfully rejoin society.

Ms. Mukamal graduated from New York University School of Law and has a Bachelors degree from the University of California at Berkeley.  

Anna Crayton, Deputy Director of Research

Anna Crayton joined the Prisoner Reentry Institute as a Research Assistant in March 2006 and in June 2008 became the Deputy Director of Research. Since joining PRI, Ms. Crayton has worked on a number of projects including the development of a national resource guide to assist individuals plan for their education upon release from prison and a quantitative analysis of the effects of long-term incarceration on reentry. Additionally, she has presented research produced by PRI initiatives at international conferences including the American Society of Criminology and International Association of Reentry.

Prior to pursuing a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at John Jay College, Ms. Crayton served as an intern at a minimum security prison in North Carolina. There she gained invaluable experience working with correctional program staff conducting case management and co-leading an ethics class for individuals in the facility. In August 2006, Anna began doctoral studies in Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She received her Bachelor of Sciences in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Appalachian State University. Anna Crayton’s information (listed below as Research Assistant) and change title to read “Deputy Director of Research”

Ali Knight, Project and Finance Administrator for the NYC Justice Corps

Ali Knight joined the Prisoner Reentry Institute in January 2008, serving as the Program and Finance Administrator for the NYC Justice Corps. Funded by the New York City Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity, the NYC Justice Corps aims to provide paid workforce development opportunities to formerly-incarcerated youth through participation in community service projects and internships. Working closely with the New York City Department of Correction, Mr. Knight oversees the development, implementation and management of this initiative, which serves approximately 275 youth a year in three of New York City’s most underserved neighborhoods.

Mr. Knight has spent most of his career serving individuals and communities in need, specifically young people involved in the criminal justice system. Prior to joining PRI, he worked for the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) as part of a team dedicated to designing and developing criminal justice programs aimed at increasing employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records. Prior to joining SBS, he worked for the Vera Institute of Justice where he worked on several programs focusing on reentry and youth development. He planned, developed and launched the Adolescent Reentry Initiative (ARI), a demonstration project that helps incarcerated youth transitioning back into the community access educational and workforce development services.

Mr. Knight graduated from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service with a Master of Public Administration and has a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Amelia Thompson, Project Administrator

Amelia Thompson joined the Prisoner Reentry Institute in January 2008 as Project Administrator. Prior to joining the Institute, she served in the Spitzer Administration as Scheduling Assistant to the Downstate Chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation and as Policy Assistant on the Governor’s transition team.

Ms. Thompson has also served as a member of the Employment and Economic Development Working Group of the Pipeline Crisis: Winning Strategies Initiative, designed to reduce the widening African American male opportunity gap. She graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in Africana Studies and Mandarin.

Jeff Mellow, Associate Professor of Law and Police Science

Jeff Mellow earned his Ph.D. from the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany of the State University of New York in 2001. He is an Associate Professor of Law Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is co-principal investigator of several correctional research and evaluation projects and serves on the advisory panel for the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center’s Transition from Jail to the Community Project funded by the National Institute of Corrections. Dr. Mellow has recent publications in the Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Urban Health, and Federal Probation, with forthcoming articles in the Journal of Correctional Health Care and the Prison Journal. He is also co-author of The Jail Administrator’s Toolkit for Reentry and Life After Lockup: Improving Reentry from Jail to the Community. His primary research interests include prisoner reentry and barriers to successful reintegration into the community.

Douglas E. Thompkins, Assistant Professor of Sociology

Douglas E. Thompkins is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago and an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has extensively researched the culture of violence within the prison community, the relationship between institutional social control policies and prisoner reentry, and the relationship between participation in prison education programs and employment opportunities upon release. He has authored articles on a wide range of topics, including the privatization of prison communities, race and the criminal justice system, gangs and school violence, and issues related to post-secondary education. He is currently conducting research examining barriers to successful reentry, the growth of the reentry industry, and participation trends among Black males in traditional social institutions, particularly education programs.

In addition to serving as a member of the Prisoner Reentry Institute’s Advisory Committee, Dr. Thompkins is Advisor to the Public Safety Initiative run by the Lifers Organization at Graterford State Prison in Pennsylvania and a member of the Board of Directors for the Fortune Society. Dr. Thompkins earned his Bachelor’s degree from Ball State University while serving time in state prison.

Suzanne Rebecca Neusteter, Research Assistant

Suzanne Rebecca Neusteter joined the Prisoner Reentry Institute in August 2007 as a Research Assistant. Before starting doctoral studies in Criminal Justice at John Jay College in Fall 2007, Ms. Neusteter held several positions in the field of criminal justice.

Most recently, she served as the Director of Criminal Justice Programs for The Doe Fund (TDF), an organization providing formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals vocational and education training, paid transitional employment, and supportive housing. Previous to her position at TDF, Ms. Neusteter served as Senior Analyst for the New York City Office of Management and Budget, where she managed the budgets for the New York City Police Department and indigent defense providers and tracked crime statistics. Ms. Neusteter also worked for four years at the Center for Employment Opportunities, which provides paid transitional employment to men and women immediately upon their discharge from prison or jail. As Deputy Director of Planning, she acted as the liaison to external evaluators, conducted internal program development and evaluation, analyzed policies and managed the internal operations for a random assignment study.

Ms. Neusteter holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Peace Studies from Chapman University and a Master of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from Milano the New School for Management and Urban Policy.