Michaela Benson-Goldsmith, M.S.
Research Specialist
Education
Expected May 2025 – Ph.D., Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha
2021 – M.S., Criminology and Criminal Justice, Missouri State University
2019 – B.S., Psychology and Criminology, Missouri State University
Michaela’s research interests include overlap between child welfare and juvenile justice, restorative justice, and victim services and criminal justice policy evaluation. She previously worked on the Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab at UNO and has worked on projects studying the experiences in out of home care for children whose parents have experienced eviction, the outcomes of a sexual assault kit initiative program in Minnesota, and risk factors for sex trafficking among at-risk runaway and missing youths. Michaela is passionate about collaboration between research and practice. In particular, she values multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing victimization and improving outcomes for juveniles previously engaged in delinquency. Michaela will be the lead research specialist for the Evidence-based Nebraska project. She is excited to join the team at JJI and work with communities across Nebraska dedicated to juvenile justice.