Meet our Research Team
Dr. Carole Gibbs - Principal Investigator
Carole Gibbs is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research interests include understanding street and elite crime from a systems perspective and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. She previously served as Acting Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and is currently serving as Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Social Science. Recent publications have appeared in Criminology and the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
Dr. Jennifer Cobbina-Dungy, Co-Principal Investigator
Jennifer E. Cobbina-Dungy is a Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her areas of expertise center on the public’s response police violence, as well as youth violence, and concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, with a special focus on the experiences of minority youth and the impact of race, class, and gender on criminal justice practices. Her research also focuses on corrections, prisoner reentry and the understanding of recidivism and desistance from crime.
Dr. Alaina De Biasi, Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Alaina De Biasi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Wayne State University. Her research focuses on understanding the dynamics of crime and violence within communities, with particular attention to firearm violence. Through her work, she seeks to develop new and better policies and practices aimed at violence prevention.
Sean Hankins - Community Liaison
Sean Hankins is the director of MSU Adolescent Diversion Program (MSU ADP) and has been involved in the program for many years. He has worked in human and social services for over 20 years. His focal populations have been juvenile delinquents, children of domestic violence, juvenile sex offenders and truant youth. Sean has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work from Michigan State University.
Kismet Okyere - Interviewer and Project Manager
Kismet Okyere is a first-year doctoral student in the school of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Missouri and an M.S. in Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research interests include community- level violence pertaining to gang violence and violence experienced by Native American populations, especially in terms of the impact on adolescent development. During her time at MSU, she has dedicated her studies on examining community-engaged research which is key to accessing and impacting under-served and marginalized communities.
Sean French - Interviewer
Sean D. French s the Co-founder of Mic’s Up Guns Down in Pontiac and Lansing Michigan, a sitting board member of the National Lifer’s of America, Inc., and a prison ministry partner/ambassador to Michigan with The Streets Don’t Love You Back.
Sean is a professional Aide at Michigan State University with the Criminal Justice. Sean has also worked with the incarcerated body as a leader for over twenty years as an ABE/GED tutor and secondary educator.
Mr. French attended Calvin College and Zoe University with a formal background in Ethics and Cognitive Behavioral Psychology. Sean is a published coauthor of; “Rehabilitation in Prison Volume 1 - A Secular approach".
Sean is an accomplished musician and producer and has written four self-help books and 32 children’s books awaiting publication.
Mr. French is also a military veteran serving with the United States Army/National Guard and the recipient of the National Defense medal and the National Defense Ribbon.
Kaelyn Sanders - Project Coordinator
Kaelyn Sanders is a Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research interests include corrections and community supervision, reintegration, and inequality broadly, although her current work is focused specifically on digital inequality among returning citizens. Her past research has been published in the Feminist Criminology,
Crime & Delinquency, and the Journal of Criminal Justice Education. Kaelyn is also a 2024 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and an alumni of The Ohio State University, where she received her B.A. in Sociology and Criminology.