Ashlee R. Barnes-Lee
Assistant Professor of Social Work | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
Her research aims to mitigate racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile legal system and disparities in school-based discipline.
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Biography
Ashlee R. Barnes-Lee is a Detroit native and interdisciplinary scholar. She earned a B.A. in both Criminal Justice and Psychology, and a Masters and Ph.D. in Ecological-Community Psychology from Michigan State University (MSU). She has a decade of practical experience working with youth in diversion programs, juvenile probation, detention centers, and in facilities serving youth diagnosed with mental health challenges. She is currently a Assistant Professor of Social Work at MSU.
Dr. Barnes-Lee's research agenda emphasizes developing strategic partnerships with juvenile legal system administrators and K-12 school administrators to advance equity within both systems. She promotes strengths-based approaches to risk and needs assessment with legal system collaborators. She seeks to disrupt school-to-prison pipeline trends (e.g., school-based discipline and arrest disparities, violence prevention) by promoting restorative practices within the K-12 school system.
Overall, her research has led to 18 peer-reviewed publications in high- impact outlets including, Criminal Justice & Behavior, Law & Human Behavior, and Children and Youth Services Review. The completion and dissemination of her research have been supported by over $2.8 million in grants, competitive fellowships, and travel funding.
In the classroom, Dr. Barnes-Lee nurtures an inclusive learning community where students can feel safe to actively engage in the learning process. Her approach has consistently resulted in strong student evaluations. In addition to her formal teaching experience, she has taught, trained, and mentored 34 undergraduate and graduate students who have served as research assistants and publication co-authors and have earned degrees in Social Work, Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Public Policy.
Dr. Barnes-Lee is a member of several professional associations, including, Society for Social Work and Research, American Psychological Association Society for Community Research and Action, and American Society of Criminology. She enjoys teaching Zumba, taco Tuesdays, and movie nights with her family.
Industry Expertise (1)
Education/Learning
Areas of Expertise (5)
Juvenile Justice Reform
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in School-Based Discipline
Strengths-Based Risk Assessment and Treatment
Community-Driven Research Methods
Scale Development
Education (4)
Michigan State University: Ph.D., Ecological-Community Psychology 2017
Michigan State University: M.A., Ecological-Community Psychology 2013
Michigan State University: B.A., Criminal Justice 2008
Michigan State University: B.A., Psychology 2008
Affiliations (4)
- State of Michigan King-Chavez-Park Initiative : Fellow
- Society for Social Work and Research—Criminal and Juvenile Justice Special Interest Group: Member
- American Psychological Association (Division 27) Society for Community Research and Action: Member
- American Society of Criminology: Member
Links (4)
Event Appearances (3)
Risk Screening/Assessment Tools: Risk, Needs, and Strengths in Case Planning.
Northern Michigan Juvenile Officers Association Annual Conference (2024)
Advancing Evidence-Based Practice--Incorporating Protective Factors into Risk/Needs Assessments and Case Planning.
Michigan Association of Family Court Administrators Annual Conference. (2024)
Co-Creating Solutions to Eliminate Racial/Ethnic Disparities Among Youth Who Are Involved in the Child Welfare & Juvenile Legal Systems.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Services Administration Anti-Racism Transformation Conference. (2023)
Journal Articles (3)
A scoping review of strengths-based risk and needs assessments for youth involved in the juvenile legal system
Children and Youth Services Review2023 Scholars have purported that strengths are an important—but often overlooked—component of risk and needs assessment, resulting in a body of literature primarily focused on deficits. Moreover, scholars have theorized that incorporating strengths in risk and needs assessment can lead to less stigmatization of individuals involved in the legal system and more accurate recidivism predictions models. Research in this area is growing, and in need of a comprehensive review to better understand the empirical value of strengths in juvenile legal system rehabilitation to support past theoretical assertions.
(In) Effectiveness of In-Home Detention Tethers to Reduce Recidivism for System-Involved Girls
Justice Evaluation Journal2022 In-home detention tethers are an intermediate, correctional sanction that have become popular alternatives to detention or incarceration. However, there is limited research on whether in-home detention tethers reduce recidivism among juvenile legal system involved girls. The current quasi-experimental study examines recidivism outcomes among adjudicated girls who received the intervention compared to a matched comparison group of girls. Recidivism rates were analyzed following completion of the intervention. In-home detention tethers were not found to be an effective method to reduce recidivism among girls.
Protective factors for reducing juvenile reoffending: an examination of incremental and differential predictive validity
Criminal Justice and Behavior2020 Juvenile court practitioners and researchers have recently gained interest in evaluating internal and external strengths, or protective factors. Some scholars assert that incorporating measures of strengths into the risk assessment process can increase the accuracy of identifying odds of recidivating. Relatively few juvenile risk assessment validation studies have evaluated the predictive validity of strengths. This study employed a diverse sample (N = 278) of juveniles under supervision in a Midwestern court. The Protective Factors for Reducing Juvenile Reoffending (PFRJR) significantly predicted recidivism for the total sample, males, and White youth.
