Graduate Student Spotlight: Alyssa LaBerge

February 19, 2025

Alyssa LaBerge grew up in northwestern Wisconsin and received her Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In 2018, she joined the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice to pursue a Masters Degree, which she received in 2020, and continued to pursue a Doctoral Degree which she is on track to graduate with at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. 

LaBerge’s parents fostered dozens of children between the ages of 3 and 17 when she was younger. Through her foster siblings, LaBerge saw the consequences of a parent’s substance abuse and incarceration. LaBerge says “some of my older foster siblings began to act out and engage in deviance and delinquency in an attempt to take control of their lives.” While none of her foster siblings ended up being engaged in the juvenile justice system, LaBerge saw how circumstances could certainly lead juveniles to become involved. This inspired her to enroll in a Criminal Justice class during her undergraduate career to learn more about the system. 

LaBerge’s decision to pursue a PhD came from one of her Undergraduate professors telling her class about a faculty member's career, including the balance between teaching and research. LaBerge says “I loved the way he described his career, and I was suddenly telling myself, ‘I want to be like him.’ I have wanted a career in academia at a teaching-focused institution ever since.” 

LaBerge’s research interests lie at the intersection of child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency. She is a community-engaged researcher who works closely with family courts to improve the outcomes of juvenile justice-involved youth, assesses programming, and validates juvenile risk and need assessments. 

 

LaBerge’s dissertation research explores differences in risks, needs, and recidivism between juveniles on probation with prior child welfare system involvement and those without. Specifically, she is examining whether the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) is as effective in predicting risk of recidivism for juveniles with prior system involvement as it is for more traditional justice-involved youth. 

LaBerge says her favorite part of being in the Doctoral Program at the MSU School of Criminal Justice has been mentoring other graduate and undergraduate students and teaching CJ 355 and CJ 292. Outside of academia, LaBerge enjoys puzzles, card and board games, and spending time with her cats Hela and Nova. 

LaBerge will be joining the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as an Assistant Professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department in August 2025.