Matthew P. West is a senior research analyst at the Institute for Justice, where he develops and conducts original social science and policy research to advance IJ’s mission. Prior to joining IJ, he was an assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at Southern Illinois University. There, he taught courses on research methods, statistics, and the justice system, mentored graduate students, and performed and published empirical research on topics like legal decision-making.
Matthew earned a B.S. in psychology from Aquinas College, an M.A. in criminal justice from the University of Nevada-Reno, and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.