Jordan VanZwoll

Jordan VanZwoll joined CJJR in January of 2025 and will work closely with the Center for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice. She is currently attending Georgetown University as a M.A. in American Government student, set to graduate in August 2025. In May of 2024, Jordan graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, minoring in Intergroup Relations Education. 

Jordan has a research focus in systemic racism and oppression within the United States, particularly in the context of policing and incarceration. Throughout her graduate and undergraduate work, Jordan has studied the historical roots of the criminal justice system to trace the origins of inequities marginalized groups continue to experience in the modern context. At the University of Michigan, she facilitated an undergraduate course through the Program on Intergroup Relations where students discussed systemic disparities faced by various marginalized groups in structures such as the criminal justice system, education, and housing. In 2023, Jordan worked with the City of Lansing Offender Success Re-entry, where she connected formerly incarcerated individuals with vital resources to help them remain outside the system. She looks forward to continuing work in advancing racial equity within youth criminal justice with CJJR.