Ph.D., University of Georgia (2005, Public Administration & Policy)
M.A., University of California, Irvine (2018, Criminology, Law & Society)
M.P.A., Indiana University (2002, Public Policy)
B.A., Birmingham-Southern College (1999, French)
David Pitts is an adjunct faculty member at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he teaches courses on research methods, statistics, and corrections. He is also vice president for the Justice and Safety Division at the Urban Institute, where he leads researchers, technical assistance providers, and support professionals focused on all aspects of the criminal legal system. In addition to his division leadership responsibilities and work as part of Urban’s cross-division leadership team, Pitts directs projects that focus on evidence-driven reform in corrections. He is committed to using data to make policy and program decisions and collaborates with corrections leaders on data-driven organizational change.
Pitts is a member of the US Sentencing Commission's Research and Data Practices Advisory Group, the advisory council of the Correctional Association of New York, and the editorial board of Criminology.