Elizabeth L Jeglic

Elizabeth Lillian Jeglic is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is an internationally renowned expert in sexual violence prevention, sexual grooming, child sexual abuse and sexual assault.

Education and academic career Jeglic received her B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa in 1996 and her B.A. degree in Psychology with Honors in 1998 from the same university. and wrote her dissertation entitled An Analysis of Suicidal Behavior in College. Jeglic completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania under the mentorship of Aaron Beck.

During her postdoctoral fellowship at Penn, Jeglic was appointed as an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. After completing her fellowship, she continued her academic career at John Jay College, where she was promoted to associate professor in 2008 and full professor in 2013.

In January 2020, Jeglic began working as an expert witness and consultant for civil, criminal, and military court-martial cases, specializing in matters involving child sexual abuse, sexual grooming, sexual assault, historical abuse cases, and institutional responsibility in sexual violence prevention. She also recently presented at the 36th Annual Crimes Against Children Conference on August 12–13, 2024. She has also featured as a guest expert on the One in Ten podcast episode titled The Real Red Flags of Grooming. In this episode, she discussed her research from John Jay, which identifies red flag behaviors that mandatory reporters, parents, and professionals can recognize to help prevent abuse.

Honors and awards Jeglic has received numerous awards and accolades throughout her career, recognizing her scholarly achievements, mentorship, and contributions to sexual violence prevention. Notable honors include the Faculty Excellence Award from John Jay College in 2007 and 2016, the Fay Honey Knopp Award from the New York State Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers in 2014, and multiple mentorship awards from John Jay College in 2009, 2013, and 2015. and studies on sex offender recidivism funded by the Forensic Psychology Research Institute. funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (2007). The Associated Press, and Time Magazine, and others. In addition to her academic contributions, she regularly writes for Psychology Today, where she blogs on topics related to sexual violence prevention. This extensive engagement with the public and professional communities underscores the impact of her research, which is reflected in her portfolio of over 140 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. co-authored with Georgia Winters, she provides a comprehensive overview of sexual grooming, examining the manipulative process offenders use to facilitate abuse while avoiding detection, and reviews key models, historical context, and the broader impact on victims, families, and communities. She also co-authored Protecting Your Child from Sexual Abuse: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Kids Safe (2018, 2nd ed. 2020) with Cynthia Calkins.

Editorial work Jeglic is on the board of Sexual Abuse, the official journal of the Association For The Treatment & Prevention Of Sexual Abuse. She is also the co-editor of four books: Handbook of Youth Suicide Prevention (Springer, 2022), Handbook of Issues of Criminal Justice Reform in the U.S. (Springer, 2021), New Frontiers in Offender Treatment: The Translation of Evidence Based Practices to Correctional Settings (Springer, 2018), Evidence Based Sex Offender Legislation: Policy and Prevention (Springer, 2016). The latter provides an edited volume that explores the gap between legislation, research, and practice in sexual violence prevention. It highlights that current policies, such as residence restrictions and registration statutes, mainly target repeat offenders, despite evidence showing that these measures may destabilize offenders, limit their reintegration into society, and increase recidivism, while the majority of sex crimes (95%) are committed by first-time offenders.