Noelle Smart
Noelle Smart is the principal research associate in the Center on Immigration and Justice (CIJ). She manages research and data analysis for four immigration court programs—the Legal Orientation Program, Immigration Court Helpdesk, Legal Orientation Program for Custodians, and National Qualified Representative Program. Noelle is interested in demonstrating the effect of government policies and operations on people at risk of deportation and in immigration detention, especially concerning access to counsel, bond, and case outcomes. In her recent projects, she has used survival analysis to identify factors that affect the immigration court backlog and case processing time. Noelle is currently leading the development of performance indicators for several government programs and has contributed to CIJ's evaluation work for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, L. A. Justice Fund, and justice AmeriCorps program.
Before joining Vera in 2016, her academic research primarily focused on the role of group-enacted masculinity as it pertains to hazing, gender-based violence, and peer validation, with additional projects addressing LGBTQ+ intimate partner violence victimization.
Noelle holds a BA in gender studies and a MA in sociology from Lehigh University and a MS in criminology from Northeastern University.