Gerald Landsberg

Dr. Gerald Landsberg is a professor in the area of social policy and has significant research interests in criminal justice, domestic violence, and youth violence. From 1996 until 2010 he served as the director of the Institute Against Violence. The Institute conducted research, and provided training and technical assistance in the areas of forensic mental health, youth violence prevention, and family violence prevention and intervention. Through the Institute, Dr. Landsberg served as the principal investigator on a number of federal, state, and local government and foundation funded projects. These include a SAMSHA-funded evaluation of diversion of the mentally ill from the criminal justice system; a Department of Justice project on Victims of Mentally Ill Offenders; a CDC-funded youth violence prevention project - East New York United for Safety; and a New York Community Trust-funded project on Planning and Advocacy for Forensic Mental Health Services in New York City. And from 2004-2008 the Institute worked with the Partnership for After School Education in a program called Partners in Healing. In this project social work interns were placed in after school programs to provide counseling and emotional support to youth participants. The evaluation conducted by the initiative demonstrated significant positive effects on the youth and the agencies. The results of the program lead New York State to define the program as a “promising practice.” The Institute also sponsored regional, national, and international conferences.