Y.P.A.D. is honored to welcome Alissa R. Ackerman, PhD. Alissa is a criminal justice professor at the University of Washington, Tacoma. She is a sex crimes researcher and has written extensively on sex offender policy and practice. She is currently involved in several research projects that span from sex offender policy to survivor-centered healing, while her advocacy work centers on survivor storytelling.
She is a fiercely outspoken advocate in ending the shame and stigma around sexual violence. She believes that the only way to stop sexual violence is to understand the underlying trauma. She uses her expertise and voice to provide safe spaces for survivors to speak out.
Alissa’s current research projects involve a national level study of state and federal sex offender registries to assess whether current management practices are effective in reducing crime among the registered sex offender population and a restorative justice project that seeks to bring the voices of survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence into the same space.
Alissa will be contributing video blogs on sex abuse awareness and healing. She is very concerned on the growing presence of sexual violations on youth within the dance setting and has graciously come on board to share her expertise in this area. Thank you Alissa!