Hayley Cleary

Hayley Cleary is a criminologist and psychologist known for her research on juveniles in the criminal justice system. She is an associate professor of Criminal Justice and Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University in the L. Douglass Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. Cleary's research mainly examines the behavior of adolescents in interrogation settings and strives to improve policy within the criminal justice system.

Education Cleary earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and Russian studies from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Cleary completed her dissertation in 2010 under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer L. Woolard. Her dissertation titled, "An Observational Study of Interview Characteristics and Miranda in Juvenile Interrogations," highlights the importance of Miranda Rights for juveniles in an interrogation setting.

Career Cleary is currently employed at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in the L. Douglass Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs in Richmond, Virginia, where she has taught criminal justice and public policy for the last 13 years. She started as an assistant professor of psychology in May 2011, where she taught for a year, before becoming an assistant professor of criminal justice in June 2012. In 2019, she was promoted to associate professor of criminal justice.

In addition to her accolades, Cleary has been sought as an expert witness in cases involving adolescents and provided supportive testimonies for evidence-based legislature. Cleary has been invited several times to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy and Virginia General Assembly to share her work with law enforcement.

Research In addition to teaching, Cleary conducts research and has over 30 published works. the process of criminal investigation procedures and observation of police behavior, and observation of youths in correctional facilities from different perspectives. Cleary receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as well as the Annie E. Casey Foundation to conduct her research. Their work, "Relations between peer influence, perceived costs versus benefits, and sexual offending among adolescents aware of sex offender registration risk," was published in 2023. Cleary has had her work featured in the New York Times and The New Yorker.