Jon Gould

Dean UC Irvine

  • Irvine CA

Jon Gould is a distinguished scholar in justice policy, social change and government reform.

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Covering the new Trump Administration - We can Help

With each day seems to come an new appointee to cabinet or significant role, a new policy twist and even the occasional walk back or withdrawal. The steps leading up to January 20, 2025 when Donald Trump resumes office as President of the United States will be getting a lot of coverage and UC Irvine has it's own team of experts ready to lend their experience, perspective and expert opinion on what is happening. Louis DeSipio examines how democratic nations incorporate new members, including policymaking in the areas of immigration. Topics of Expertise: Foreign Affairs / NATO Immigration and Deportation Department of Education, EPA, Homeland Security, Department of Interior, NOAA, HHS and FDA Jeffrey Wasserstrom specializes in modern Chinese cultural history & world history, who has written on many contemporary as well as historical issues. Topics of Expertise: Foreign Affairs / NATO Free Speech Department of Education, EPA, Homeland Security, Department of Interior, NOAA, HHS and FDA Eric Swanson is an expert on inflation, recessions and what changes in interest rates mean for the economy. Topics of Expertise: Foreign Affairs / NATO Tariffs Impact of Downsized Government Senior's Health and Social Security Heidi Hardt is an expert on NATO, defense, security, foreign policy, organizations, the EU, UN, operations, gender, climate and change. Topics of Expertise: Foreign Affairs / NATO Climate Change Gender and LGBTQ+ Rights Tony Smith’s knowledge of politics includes Constitutional Law, the U.S. Supreme Court and election law. Topics of Expertise: Free Speech Department of Education, EPA, Homeland Security, Department of Interior, NOAA, HHS and FDA Jon Gould is a distinguished scholar in justice policy, social change and government reform. Topics of Expertise: Deregulation Gender and LGBTQ+ Rights All of these experts are available to speak with media simply click on a profile now to arrange an interview time today.

Jon GouldLouis DeSipioEric SwansonHeidi HardtTony Smith

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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

International Human Rights
Hate Speech
Indigent Defense
Government Reform
Justice Policy
Social Change
Erroneous Convictions
Prosecutorial Innovation
Sexual Harassment

Accomplishments

Paul Tappan Award

Western Society of Criminology

Administration of Justice Award

U.S. Supreme Court Fellows Program

Social Activist Award

Justice Studies Association

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Education

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

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Affiliations

  • Arnold Foundation Eyewitness Identification Advisory Group
  • Law & Society Review : Associate Editor
  • Wrongful Conviction Law Review : Editorial Board

Media Appearances

Judge Hannah Dugan's arrest raises questions about jurisdiction, preserving judicial integrity

UPI  online

2025-05-02

Jon Gould, professor of criminology, law and society at the University of California, Irvine, told UPI the case raises complex questions about the rule of law, immigration and the jurisdiction of the federal government. "The arrest is kind of a Rorschach test in terms of how people think about the rule of law and immigration," Gould said. "On one hand, this is an attack on the integrity of the judiciary, and the state's judiciary at that, by the federal government. The other perspective on this is that a judge allowed her personal interest to get in the way of the law and allowed someone who was under suspicion by the federal government to escape her courtroom."

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O.C. Registrar of Voters debunks viral election fraud claim

Daily Pilot  online

2025-01-21

Jon Gould, dean of UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology, praised the Registrar of Voters’ commitment to transparency. “We should expect our governmental institutions to be responsive to citizen concerns, and so it is impressive to see the extent to which the Orange County Registrar of Voters is explaining its work,” Gould said. “It is also unfortunate that this period of distrust in governmental institutions is requiring such explanations.” A poll conducted by UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology last year found that 26% of O.C. adults did not believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. Among Republicans, 55% of those surveyed share that same skeptical belief.

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Former Sen. Josh Newman joins UC Irvine to teach a class on California’s future

The Orange County Register  online

2025-01-16

Former state Sen. Josh Newman has a new gig as a senior fellow with the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology, where he will be co-teaching a class on California’s future …. with School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould in the fall. … Newman said, “I’m very much looking forward to working closely with Dean Gould and other members of the school’s talented staff to bring real-world insights on politics and policy as part of the school’s mission of developing future leaders in education, research, public policy and community action.”

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Research Grants

Principal investigator of 18-month project studying prosecutorial discretion in three district attorneys’ offices

Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center

2018-2019

Co-director of project to administer the National Science Foundation’s former grant program

Law and Science Dissertation Grant Program

2020-2022

Principal investigator of three-year project applying social science methods to the study of wrongful convictions

National Institute of Justice

2010-2013

Articles

Qualifying Prosecutorial Immunity Through Brady Claims

Iowa Law Review

2021

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.

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Theorizing Failed Prosecutions

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

2021

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.

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When the Courts Are Indifferent and Legislators Apathetic: Partnering with Prosecutors to Protect Public Defense

Criminal Law Bulletin

2021

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.

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