Dr. Tostlebe’s research focuses on incarceration and reentry; misconduct and recidivism; gangs in institutions and communities; empirical tests of criminological theory; and correctional evaluations. She served as the project manager for a statewide study investigating the impact of solitary confinement—and a step-down program—on incarcerated individuals and prisons in Oregon.

Dr. Tostlebe’s current projects focus on reentry initiatives in Omaha evaluating the Never Give Up (NGU) Transitional Living program; Nebraska’s legislatively mandated evaluation of structured programming within the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services; and a five-year Arnold Ventures–supported collaboration with the Iowa Board of Parole and Iowa Department of Corrections to develop and evaluate a decision-support tool designed to reduce overcrowding and support evidence-based parole decisions.

She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency and Corrections. Her research has appeared in outlets such as Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Health & Justice, Homicide Studies, and Preventive Medicine. She co-hosts The Criminology Academy Podcast, which is supported by the ARC Lab.

To learn more about Dr. Tostlebe’s research, check out her personal website.