Jon Gould
Dean | UC Irvine
Irvine, CA, UNITED STATES
Jon Gould is a distinguished scholar in justice policy, social change and government reform.
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Biography
Jon Gould is a distinguished scholar in justice policy, social change and government reform who has held key positions in the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Science Foundation. He assumed the deanship on Jan. 1, 2022.
Gould leads the nation’s first school of social ecology, established in 1970 in response to high demand for more socially relevant research. For more than 50 years, the school has been an internationally recognized pioneer in developing interdisciplinary approaches to social problems. Its highly ranked faculty in criminology, law and society; urban planning and public policy; and psychological science engage in research and education to foster informed social action and make the world a better place.
Gould’s expertise covers justice policy, social change and government reform. He was the principal investigator for the Preventing Wrongful Convictions Project, a multiyear research initiative funded by the National Institute of Justice. He is the author of five books and more than 100 articles and reports on such diverse subjects as erroneous convictions, indigent defense, prosecutorial innovation, police behavior, hate speech, sexual harassment and international human rights.
Gould has filled a range of government leadership roles, including senior policy adviser in the U.S. Department of Justice and director of the Law & Social Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation. In 2015, U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him as reporter for a committee of the federal courts evaluating the operation of the Criminal Justice Act. Gould is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a former U.S. Supreme Court Fellow and a former trustee of the Law & Society Association. He received the Administration of Justice Award from the U.S. Supreme Court Fellows Alumni Association in 2017.
Areas of Expertise (9)
International Human Rights
Hate Speech
Indigent Defense
Government Reform
Justice Policy
Social Change
Erroneous Convictions
Prosecutorial Innovation
Sexual Harassment
Accomplishments (5)
Paul Tappan Award (professional)
Western Society of Criminology
Administration of Justice Award (professional)
U.S. Supreme Court Fellows Program
Social Activist Award (professional)
Justice Studies Association
Herbert Jacob Best Book Award (professional)
Law & Society Association
Outstanding Academic Title (professional)
American Library Association
Education (4)
University of Chicago: Ph.D., Political Science 1999
Harvard Law School: J.D. 1989
cum laude
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government: M.P.P. 1989
University of Michigan: A.B., Public Policy 1985
with highest distinction and highest honors
Affiliations (3)
- Arnold Foundation Eyewitness Identification Advisory Group
- Law & Society Review : Associate Editor
- Wrongful Conviction Law Review : Editorial Board
Links (4)
Media Appearances (11)
As anti-immigrant politics sweep the nation, Santa Ana voters reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
Los Angeles Times online
2024-11-12
“This is kind of in line with trends we’ve been seeing in both polling and elections of the Latino community getting more conservative on issues of immigration,” said Jon Gould, Dean of the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine. … “Nationally, there’s this growing sense that citizenship matters. It’s a process that needs to be respected,” said Mike Madrid, [Senior Fellow, UC Irvine School of Social Ecology] a Republican political consultant with expertise in Latino voting trends.
Trump inheriting a "very good economy", will his plan for tariffs 'send it into a tailspin'?
France24 online
2024-11-07
FRANCE 24's Carys Garland is joined by Jon Gould, Dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine. … “There were three things that explained this election. … Voters were displeased with how the current administration handled the economy and inflation that they took out on Vice President Harris. Second, there are a group of people who feel very much left out, that America has moved on and they have been left behind. These were the people who were with Trump before, they are still with him now. And the third thing, and this is probably where we have seen the biggest shift, is among Latino voters, particularly men, there was a substantial shift towards Trump,” said Gould.
How Republicans’ votes on the Violence Against Women Act have become a sticking point in the 2024 elections
The Orange County Register online
2024-09-23
The Violence Against Women Act — particularly how Republicans have voted on it — has become a flashpoint in the 2024 election cycle, especially in the closely watched races for California’s 27th and 45th congressional districts. … It isn’t surprising that campaigns, especially in battleground districts, are looking for ways to build a larger base of support among women voters who tend to vote for Democrats more than men, said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology.
‘We just can’t afford to live here.’ Housing costs are driving people out of Orange County, poll says
Los Angeles Times online
2024-08-09
A UC Irvine poll released Friday indicated that more than a third of Orange County residents are actively considering moving somewhere else. The main reasons? The high costs of housing and basic necessities, including food and gas. … “Contrary to what some people like to think, we are not hemorrhaging people to other states because there’s something wrong with California,” said UCI School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould, who spearheaded the poll. “What the poll is telling us is there’s a giant storm that’s brewing that may very well unleash itself on the county with the problem of the lack of affordable housing.”
Could Orange County help determine the balance of power in Congress?
Los Angeles Times online
2024-05-03
Could Orange County help determine the balance of power in Congress? A UC Irvine School of Social Ecology poll released last month offers some new insights into the electoral role that will be played by this purple county, which is almost evenly split between Democrats at 33%, Republicans, 32%, and Independents, 35%. My colleague Hannah Fry reported on some of the key poll findings. … Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology, spearheaded the poll.
Trump has never won a general election in OC. That may be due to election skepticism, a new poll finds
The Orange County Register online
2024-05-01
If the election were held today, [Joe] Biden would beat [Donald] Trump by eight points, according to a UC Irvine poll released this month. That in part means Trump — who leads Biden by one point among county residents surveyed, regardless of voter registration status, but has never won a general election in Orange County — is having difficulty getting people who say they support him to register to vote, said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology. It also means that residents who aren’t registered to vote are more likely to be Trump supporters, he said.
Orange County now politically purple
Fox 11 Los Angeles online
2024-04-29
Orange County was once dominantly Republican, voting for the GOP candidate in every presidential election between 1940 and 2012, but in recent years the district has shifted left. Jon Gould, dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, talks about the political shift. “Orange County has become the true purple county in America to watch. So, you see things happening here, they are a harbinger of what’s coming nationally,” says Gould.
Many O.C. residents skeptical of election results, potentially swaying key races, poll finds
Los Angeles Times online
2024-04-29
[In] Orange County … 26% of adults surveyed in a UC Irvine poll released this month said they did not believe [Joe] Biden legitimately won the presidency in 2020, with another 17% unsure about the question. … “Distrust in the election system may very well convince some people not to participate, and what we’re seeing is that people who distrust it more tend to skew to the right, and so that would hurt Republicans,” said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology, who spearheaded the poll.
What does Orange County’s presidential primary data suggest about Biden and Trump’s chances?
The Orange County Register online
2024-04-25
To rely on the results of the primary alone to predict what will happen in the general election would be a misstep, said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology. “We typically see that in primary elections because the people who are most likely to come out to vote in not very highly contested elections tend to be older, tend to be people who are really, really attached to the candidate, and Trump has, among a core group of supporters, a lot of excitement,” said Gould.
How an expensive bet by Emily’s List in an Orange County congressional race went awry
Los Angeles Times online
2024-04-23
For Emily’s List, the Democratic political group that has helped elect hundreds of women who support abortion rights, backing Joanna Weiss just made sense. … The group’s super PAC, called Women Vote began buying ads for Weiss on Jan. 30, spending more than $827,000 in a week on television ads and mailers, federal records show. “If you’re going to spend that kind of money, you’d expect to see it spent over a longer amount of time and it would be targeted better,” said Jon Gould, the dean of the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine. “It had the feel that someone suddenly committed a lot of money at the last minute.”
What does Orange County’s presidential primary data suggest about Biden and Trump’s chances?
The Orange County Register online
2024-04-25
To rely on the results of the primary alone to predict what will happen in the general election would be a misstep, said Jon Gould, dean of the UCI School of Social Ecology. “We typically see that in primary elections because the people who are most likely to come out to vote in not very highly contested elections tend to be older, tend to be people who are really, really attached to the candidate, and Trump has, among a core group of supporters, a lot of excitement,” said Gould.
Research Grants (3)
Principal investigator of 18-month project studying prosecutorial discretion in three district attorneys’ offices
Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center $295,000
2018-2019
Co-director of project to administer the National Science Foundation’s former grant program
Law and Science Dissertation Grant Program $1,400,000
2020-2022
Principal investigator of three-year project applying social science methods to the study of wrongful convictions
National Institute of Justice $660,000
2010-2013
Articles (5)
Qualifying Prosecutorial Immunity Through Brady Claims
Iowa Law Review2021 This Article considers the soundness of the doctrine of absolute immunity as it relates to Brady violations. While absolute immunity serves to protect prosecutors from civil liability for good-faith efforts to act appropriately in their official capacity, current immunity doctrine also creates a potentially large class of injury victims—those who are subjected to wrongful imprisonment due to Brady violations—with no access to justice.
Theorizing Failed Prosecutions
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology2021 Over the last twenty years, the scholarly field of erroneous convictions has skyrocketed, with multiple articles and books exploring the failures that convict the innocent. However, there has been comparatively little attention to the other side of the coin, failed prosecutions, when the criminal justice system falls short in convicting the likely perpetrator.
When the Courts Are Indifferent and Legislators Apathetic: Partnering with Prosecutors to Protect Public Defense
Criminal Law Bulletin2021 The last decade offered advocates fleeting hope that the courts would step in to reform public defense. However, recent decisions by state courts – and the intransigence of the federal judiciary – have proven those prospects a mirage.
“Heart and Soul of a Prosecutor”: The Impact of Prosecutor Role Orientation on Charging Decisions
Criminal Justice and Behavior2021 In most research, prosecutors are depicted monolithically as “interchangeable parts” rather than as individuals with varied perspectives. Yet, the prosecution is becoming increasingly diverse, a shift that is likely accompanied by different approaches to prosecution. Drawing upon the concepts of role orientation and job crafting, we identify three primary orientations to the job of a prosecutor, that of the Enforcer, the Reformer, and the Advocate.
Biden's First 100 Days: Putting the Federal Death Penalty on Life Support
Illinois Law Review2021 In the 78 days between Election Day and when left office, Donald Trump presided over the execution of six defendants on federal death row. So hurried was his administration to see the final three executed that officials repeatedly appealed stays and preliminary injunctions by lower courts to ensure that the death warrants were carried out before control of the US Department of Justice was turned over to Joe Biden and his appointees.
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