He received his doctorate in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1985. For nearly twenty years he has conducted survey research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and training in juvenile justice. He directed an evaluation of juvenile intensive probation programs in Detroit, and, as a research associate with the Center for the Study of Youth Policy at the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1992, he was involved in several projects with juvenile justice agencies in several states. Current projects include an evaluation of youth assistance programs in Michigan, the development of objective dispositional guidelines for juveniles in New Hampshire, and a study of the feasibility of computer-assisted interviewing for child victims of sexual abuse. He has published extensively and presented papers at numerous conferences.