Amy E. Lerman is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and writes widely on issues related to political participation, public opinion, and public policy. She is particularly interested in the political attitudes and behavior of the economically marginalized, youth, and racial minorities.
Professor Lerman's recent work examines the ways that growing economic inequality, persistent racial bias, and the rise of the carceral state influence citizens’ political beliefs, racial identities, and rates of political participation. Professor Lerman is the author of two books on criminal justice policy, The Modern Prison Paradox (Cambridge University Press) and Arresting Citizenship (The University of Chicago Press). Her current book project, The Public Reputation Crisis, explores the widely-held stereotypes of government as wasteful and inefficient, and assesses the consequences of these beliefs for Americans' attitudes toward privatization. In addition to these larger works, Professor Lerman’s scholarship can be found in a number of edited volumes and a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and Punishment and Society.
In addition to her academic work, Lerman has served as a speechwriter and communications consultant for national nonprofits and members of the United States Congress, a community organizer in Latin America and Southeast Asia, and an adjunct faculty member of the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison. She consults widely on issues related to prison reform, violence reduction, access to higher education, and law enforcement mental health.
Professor Lerman's recent work examines the ways that growing economic inequality, persistent racial bias, and the rise of the carceral state influence citizens’ political beliefs, racial identities, and rates of political participation. Professor Lerman is the author of two books on criminal justice policy, The Modern Prison Paradox (Cambridge University Press) and Arresting Citizenship (The University of Chicago Press). Her current book project, The Public Reputation Crisis, explores the widely-held stereotypes of government as wasteful and inefficient, and assesses the consequences of these beliefs for Americans' attitudes toward privatization. In addition to these larger works, Professor Lerman’s scholarship can be found in a number of edited volumes and a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and Punishment and Society.
In addition to her academic work, Lerman has served as a speechwriter and communications consultant for national nonprofits and members of the United States Congress, a community organizer in Latin America and Southeast Asia, and an adjunct faculty member of the Prison University Project at San Quentin State Prison. She consults widely on issues related to prison reform, violence reduction, access to higher education, and law enforcement mental health.
