The Legal Decision Making Lab | Monclair State University

OUR

TEAM

Get Involved

Interested in working with us? Fill out the lab application (click here) and submit one letter of recommendation, sent by the letter writer directly to Drs. Zottoli & Daftary-Kapur (legal-decisions-lab@montclair.edu). The number of students accepted each term will vary according to lab needs.

Drs. Zottoli & Daftary-Kapur plan to review PhD applications for the 2024-2025 application cycle, for a mentee to begin fall 2025. Prospective PhD students should apply to the MSU Clinical Psychology doctoral program, listing Dr. Zottoli and/or Dr. Daftary-Kapur as your desired mentor.

DIRECTOR

Tina Zottoli, Ph.D

Dr. Tina Zottoli is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Montclair State University and a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of New York. Her scholarship centers on decision making in legal contexts, with a focus on outcomes for adolescent defendants. She has particular expertise in guilty plea decision making, of both youth and adults, and has consulted on several cases involving suspected or proven false admissions. Her work on recidivism risk in persons released from life sentences for crimes committed as youth has garnered national attention, and she has testified before the legislatures of several states with respect to proposed second-chance legislation for youth. Dr. Zottoli’s scholarship has been funded by several organizations including The Vital Projects Fund, Inc., the American Psychology-Law Society, and the American Bar Endowment, and she is regularly invited to speak or write on matters related to her scholarship. Dr. Zottoli’s clinical practice focuses on issues pertaining to legal competencies, violence risk and sentencing mitigation, and she frequently consults on cases involving youth and young adults. When not working, she can be found rock climbing, kayaking and cross-country skiing (though, not all at the same time).

Dr. Zottoli's CV

MSU Faculty Profile

Clinical Practice

CO-DIRECTOR

Tarika Daftary-Kapur, Ph.D

Dr. Tarika Daftary-Kapur is a Professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University. Her interests lie primarily in adolescent decision making and legal competencies presently focused on plea deal decision making and innocence in plea bargaining. Her work on recidivism risk in persons released from life sentences for crimes committed as youth has garnered national attention, and she has testified before the legislatures of several states with respect to proposed second-chance legislation for youth, as well as consulted on several cases of individuals seeking resentencing. Dr. Daftary-Kapur’s scholarship has been funded by several organizations including The American Bar Endowment, The Vital Projects Fund, Inc., the American Psychology-Law Society, the Spencer Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. She has worked and consulted with jurisdictions around the country on their juvenile and criminal justice policies.

Dr. Daftary-Kapur's CV

MSU Faculty Profile

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Ryan Schneider

Ryan Schneider is a sixth year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program, forensic emphasis. His research interests center on legal decision making, contributors to wrongful conviction and the etiology of criminal behavior. His master’s thesis examined the influences of potential trial sentence and plea discount on guilty plea decisions of mock guilty and innocent defendants. Ryan's clinical interests include forensic mental health assessment and treatment of individuals with criminal offending histories.

Tristin Faust

Tristin Faust is a sixth year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program, forensic emphasis. Tristin’s research interests are in adolescent and adult legal decision making, juvenile legal competencies, and false confessions. Her master's thesis explores how innocent and guilty mock defendants use evidence to estimate likelihood of conviction at trial. Tristin’s clinical interests are in forensic mental health assessment and treatment for justice-involved individuals.

Aliya Birnbaum

Aliya Birnbaum is a fourth year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program, forensic emphasis. Aliya’s research interests are in adolescent legal decision making, juvenile justice policy reform, parental involvement in youth legal decision making, and race in the legal system. Her master's thesis examined the impact of attorney race on parental acquiescence to attorney plea bargain recommendations in a juvenile justice setting. Aliya’s clinical interests are in forensic mental health assessment and treatment for justice-involved youth.

Julia Stratton

Julia Stratton is a third year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program, with a forensic emphasis. Julia’s research interests include wrongful convictions, plea deals, legal and risky decision-making, and criminal justice policy reform. Julia's clinical interests include forensic mental health assessment, risk assessment, expert testimony, and treatment for justice-involved individuals.

Kimberly Echevarria

Kim Echevarria is a second year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program, forensic emphasis. Kim’s research interests include legal decision making and legal competencies in youth and adults, guilty plea decision making, false confessions, factors contributing to wrongful convictions, reentry and recidivism, and criminal justice policy reform. Kim's clinical interests include competency evaluation, risk assessment, forensic mental health assessment, and expert testimony.

Tierney Huppert

Tierney Huppert is a first year Ph.D. student in the Clinical Psychology program, forensic emphasis. Tierney's research interests include sentencing, alternatives to incarceration, wrongful convictions, reentry and recidivism, and criminal justice policy reform. Her master's thesis examined whether public perceptions of exonerees could be improved through exposure to educational material about wrongful convictions and exonerations. Tierney's clinical interests include forensic mental health assessment, severe mental illness, and treatment for justice-involved individuals.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Miguel Murillo | PhD student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Jamie Buren | MA Student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Drew Melancon | MA Student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Stephanie Salmento | MA student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Leah Dolin | MA student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Julia Donatien | MA student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Sean Mefford | MA student; Clinical psychology, forensic specialization

Keith Covan-Rodriguez | BA student; Justice Studies, international justice

DOCTORAL ALUMNI

Jennifer Bartlett

Jennifer Bartlett graduated from Montclair State University in August of 2022. Her dissertation explored the relationship between trauma exposure, trauma symptoms, and the likelihood to accept a plea deal when innocent. Currently, she is a post-doctoral fellow at a state psychiatric hospital conducting forensic assessments full-time (e.g., competency to stand trial assessments). She ultimately plans to work in a private practice conducting forensic assessments and providing individual evidence-based therapeutic services.

Lauren Grove

Lauren Grove graduated from Montclair State University in May 2023. Her dissertation assessed differences in developmental maturity and criminal sophistication among justice-involved and non-justice-involved adolescents and young adults. Currently, she is completing a pre-doctoral internship in the Child Guidance Clinic with the DC Superior Court. Following internship, she has accepted a position with South Carolina's Department of Juvenile Justice, where she will be completing court-ordered evaluations for youth (e.g.,violence risk, psychosexual, and waiver to adult court).

LAB ALUMNI

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Conor Hogan

Conor Hogan graduated from Montclair State University in January of 2023. His dissertation examined the guilty plea experiences of persons charged with sex crimes. Currently, he works as a clinician through Rutgers University Correctional Health Care at the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center (ADTC), providing treatment and assessment to individuals convicted of sex crimes.