ABOUT

Emily J. Salisbury, Ph.D. is one of the founding scholars of gender-responsive correctional treatment for justice-involved women. Gender-responsive policies and practices start with girls and women in mind and address their unique needs and strengths.

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Dr. Salisbury is an Associate Professor of Social Work and the Director of the Utah Criminal Justice Center at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on the rehabilitation, decarceration and social reintegration of women in the criminal justice system, impacting the lives of more than 50,000 women. She is the co-creator and Research Director of the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA), the only peer-reviewed, validated risk and strengths instrument in the public domain designed specifically for justice-involved women. WRNA is used to measure women’s specific criminogenic needs as well as their strengths, aiding development of comprehensive case plans to keep women from cycling in and out of the criminal justice system. The WRNA is used by more than 100 international and U.S. jurisdictions, including England, Singapore, the Czech Republic, and Namibia.