Leigh Courtney
About Leigh Courtney
Leigh Courtney is a Senior Policy Associate at The Urban Institute, where she has worked since 2016. She has a background in criminal justice research and policy, with previous roles at The Sentencing Project and CSR, Incorporated.
Work at Urban Institute
Leigh Courtney has served as a Senior Policy Associate at the Urban Institute since 2016. In this role, she focuses on policy analysis and research related to criminal justice. Her work involves managing projects that assess the implications of state-level criminal justice policies. She has contributed to various initiatives aimed at reforming prosecutorial decision-making processes and improving overall justice outcomes.
Previous Experience in Criminal Justice Research
Before joining the Urban Institute, Leigh Courtney worked as a Senior Criminal Justice Research Associate at CSR, Incorporated from 2015 to 2016. In this position, she conducted research on criminal justice issues. Additionally, she gained experience as a Graduate Research Intern at The Sentencing Project from 2014 to 2015, where she contributed to projects focused on sentencing reform and its impacts.
AmeriCorps VISTA Experience
Leigh Courtney served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at both the Champaign-Urbana Area Project and the Illinois Balanced and Restorative Justice Project from 2011 to 2013. In these roles, she worked on community development and restorative justice initiatives. Her service involved engaging with local communities to promote social equity and justice.
Education and Expertise
Leigh Courtney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Anthropology, Spanish, and English from Denison University. She furthered her education by obtaining a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland College Park, specializing in social policy and criminal justice policy. This academic background underpins her expertise in policy analysis and research methodologies.
Research Contributions
Leigh Courtney has managed a mixed-methods research study that examined the historic growth in time served in prisons. Her research contributions also include involvement in projects related to prosecutorial decision-making and state-level criminal justice policy reform. These projects aim to inform policy changes and enhance the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.