Allison Redlich

How long have you been at George Mason University and what was your path like to get here?

I came to George Mason in 2015 and remain impressed by this University. My route to a criminology, law and society department is through a field called psychology and the law. My degree is in developmental psychology, but I have called a criminology department home now for a total of 18 years. As we are all studying issues relevant to the criminal legal system, I feel right at home here and have benefited from the exposure to our multi-disciplinary faculty. 

Can you share a little bit about your current research?

These days the focus of my research is on two related topics: interrogations and confessions, and guilty pleas. More specifically, I examine the how and why suspects and defendants admit guilt when they actually committed the crime and when they did not (and how these lead to wrongful convictions). A central focus of my research is on knowing, intelligent, and voluntary decision-making in these contexts. I use a variety of methods and let my research questions guide the appropriate methods to use. 

How would you describe your mentoring style to a prospective graduate student?

I am a hands-on mentor. I meet with my doctoral students once a week to maintain progress on shared research and towards students’ degree progress. My office is in my lab, where the students I mentor also work, and thus I interact with my students often. I benefitted tremendously from mentoring in my career and thus do my best to pay it forward. Mentoring students is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a professor for me.  

What graduate classes do you teach?

I somewhat regularly teach CRIM 720: Law and Social Science (core class) and a Grant Writing course that serves as an elective in the program.

Is there anything else you would like prospective students to know?

Know that my door is always open. I have been in academia for many years and have lots of experience to share. I look forward to hearing about your experiences.