About Us

HISTORY

In March 2020, we launched the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project  to meet the urgent need for a centralized resource to track the impact of COVID-19 on those living and working in carceral institutions. During the heart of the pandemic, our data was used by litigators and activists, policymakers, journalists, academics, and other stakeholders seeking to make sense of and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on people in prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers.

In February 2023, we shifted our focus to all-cause mortality and relaunched as the UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project. A central component of this work involves the building and hosting of a nationwide dataset of all deaths behind bars. Coinciding with the launch of our deaths in custody dataset, the New York Times drew on our data for a front-page investigation which found an increase of 61% in US prisons’ mortality rate from 2019 to 2020.

Our work has been made possible by the generous support of several funders, including Arnold Ventures, Vital Projects Fund, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities. From our earliest days, we have maintained our commitment to our core mission: to increase the transparency and accountability of carceral settings, to save lives, and to underscore our collective understanding of incarceration as a threat to public health.

FACULTY

Sharon Dolovich
Faculty Director
Professor of Law UCLA School of Law
Director UCLA Prison Law & Policy Program

Aaron Littman
Faculty Deputy Director
Assistant Professor of Law UCLA School of Law
Faculty Director, Prisoners’ Rights Clinic

STAFF

Andrew Beale, Research Assistant

Abigail Branham, Project Coordinator

Diana Simmes, Project Director

Ethan Corey, Public Records Analyst / Staff Writer

Hena Vader, Research Assistant

Josue Sanchez Hernandez, Research Analyst

Lauren Woyczynski, Research Scientist

Mari Roberts, Senior Data Scientist

Michael Everett, Senior Data Scientist

CONSULTANTS

Angele Delevoye

Annette Dekker

ADVISORY BOARD

Our research is enhanced by the focused and informed input of our Advisory Board, which is comprised of members with diverse experiences with the carceral system.

Bethany Hallam

Dell Pippins

Jeffrey Herrmann

Joshua Vaughn

Justin Berk

Leseta Hamilton

Michael Saavedra

Reena Kapoor

VOLUNTEERS

Bronwen Crystal

Cat Washington 

Josephine Wang

Kate Mitchell
Lindsey Rogers
Samantha Vega
Sherry Leysen

For a list of past staff and volunteers please see our team page on our COVID Behind Bars Data Project website.