Sarah Riley
Sarah Riley is a senior research associate with Vera's Incarceration and Inequality Project. In her role, Sarah conducts research and constructs datasets describing the connections between incarceration and economic outcomes. She also designs materials to broaden awareness of these dynamics and inform policy responses.
While completing her PhD, Sarah conducted a mixed-methods study of the pretrial system in Virginia. She explored how human discretion in the pretrial process—particularly on the part of pretrial officers—influenced risk scores, pretrial detention decisions, and life outcomes for people accused of crimes. Before pursuing her doctorate degree, Sarah worked for the New York City Department of Education as a school business manager in District 79, where she worked to reengage out-of-school youth.
Sarah holds a BA in political science from Amherst College, an MPP from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in information science from Cornell University.