Risk Resilience Research Lab @UCBerkeley

Meet Thijs Doornbos, the programmer of un-TILTED!, a competitive after-school game that builds self-control. He built the game + backend. He tuned the competition so players care, not tilt. “Games shaped me... this is my chance to give back.”

#PlayingForChange #SeriousGames #YouthWellbeing

Author insight: Dr. Luyi Jian of #UAlbany, coauthor on our preprint about prosocial identity. Compassion may be the protective signal. “For lower-risk youth, emphasizing compassion and contribution may be more effective than focusing mainly on rule-following.”

Read: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Stephanie Samson just hit one year as our full-time research assistant. Behind the scenes, she keeps programs on track and coordinates with families as we test a science-based, video game–supported program called Playing for Change #YouthWellbeing #gamesforchange #ResearchImpact #p4c

We are honored work we were involved in on community treatment is featured in Psychiatric Services’ Editors’ Choice, “Community Correctional Care.” Engagement in community services links to lower short-term reoffending. #EditorsChoice

Explore the collection: psychiatryonline.org/ps/editorsch...

New preprint: Prosocial identity - especially caring for others - predicts lower 1-yr recidivism (N=958). Not moderated by moral internalization, self-efficacy, or social support.
📄 Read More: ssrn.com/abstract=553...

#JuvenileJustice #ProsocialIdentity #EvidenceBased #umass #ualbany #recidivism

Risk Resilience Lab Director Jennifer Skeem joined the PPIC Prop 36 Innovation Day Workshop, helping shape a research agenda on reform impacts. Proud to advance evidence-based policy for safer, healthier, more just communities.

#JusticeReform #PublicPolicy #CommunitySafety

Back in Richmond, CA for a new season of Playing 4 Change with our RA team and new players. P4C builds self-control after school: we train with un-TILTED! and apply skills in tournaments in other games.
Learn more: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-...
#YouthWellbeing #UCBerkeley #p4c

Stay Connected with Risk-Resilience.

Quarterly updates with research highlights, lab stories, and announcements. Each issue is a snapshot of the work shaping the future of risk and resilience delivered right to your inbox just 4x a year.

📩 Sign up: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/newsletter/

Meet Christian Fernandez! (& Princess!)

Christian is a 4th-year Sociology major & transfer at UC Berkeley. He joined Playing for Change to work with youth & gain research experience.

💬 “I love connecting with kids - their joy reminds me of our impact.”
#UCBerkeley #PlayingForChange #MeetTheTeam

📢 Upcoming Webinar! Join Jennifer Skeem, Gina Vincent PhD & Josh Weber for Youth Protective Factors Study: Key Findings on Risk-Reduction Services
🗓 Sept 24, 12–1:15pm ET. Register: tinyurl.com/YPFS-Webinar
#ProtectiveFactors #ImproveYouthOutcomes

How can we better support youth while improving public safety? Our 3rd brief from the Youth Protective Factors Study shares findings on what drives reoffending among justice-involved youth ages 10–23.
🔗 doi.org/10.13028/m19...
#JuvenileJustice #YouthJustice #EvidenceBasedPolicy #PublicSafety

💡 Featured Project: Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI)
We tested adding a CBI to usual services for justice-involved people with mental illness. In RCTs, CBI reduced re-offending when delivered with high fidelity and completed.
Learn More: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/cognitive-be... #CBI

Meet Anabel. Lab Manager for the Risk-Resilience Lab. UC Berkeley Psych major + Education minor. “Working on Playing for Change, my favorite part is witnessing growth and progress - week after week.” Future plans? Grad school in School Psychology.
#UCBerkeley #MeetTheTeam #SchoolPsychology

🎮 Meet un-TILTED! A fast-paced game co-created with youth and rooted in science. It looks like the games they love while helping them “think slower” in heated situations, in games and in life.

🔗 Learn more: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-...
#SeriousGames #YouthEmpowerment #SocialImpact

In the News 📰 Our faculty director Dr. Jennifer Skeem joins KQED’s The Latest to talk evidence-based responses to mental health crises - co-responder teams, crisis-intervention training, and smarter 911 triage.
Listen here: youtu.be/tcegpv7d4WI
#MentalHealth #PublicSafety #EvidenceBased

New Publication! Our article “Effect of Juvenile Justice Financial Sanctions on Youths’ Recidivism” is accepted in Law & Human Behavior!

Sanctions increase re-arrests and violations. Fees alone show no effect. Reform must go beyond fees.
📖 doi.org/10.1037/lhb0...

#JuvenileJustice #ResearchImpact

“We’ve seen decreases in aggression + contagious joy when kids realize what they’re capable of.” – Kelli Bacher on Playing for Change 🎮 Learn more: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-... #playing4change #GameDesign #SocialImpact #Innovation #PositiveYouthDevelopment #SeriousGames #Research

Flashback Friday! Our article “Understanding racial disparities in pretrial detention recommendations to shape policy reform” was among the Top 10 most-cited papers in Criminology & Public Policy (2023). #TopCitedArticle 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Can psychiatric hospitals be safer by changing institutional risk factors? We’re testing a program with CA State Hospitals to reduce violence and self-harm.

Early results are promising. Learn more here: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/psychiatric-... #MentalHealth #ViolencePrevention #UCBerkeley

Thrilled to welcome Wondeok Seo to the Lab! He’s a first-year Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, exploring criminal justice policy, mental health, and
quantitative methods. Learn more 👉 risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/team/
#PhDLife #UCBerkeley #PublicPolicy #MeetTheTeam

From our lab to the world — our alumni are shaping policy, improving services, and creating safer communities. We couldn’t be prouder to see them turning research into action.
Read more about each of our alumni here: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/team/
#ResearchImpact #JusticeAndEquity #DataForGood

It's time to meet more of our team! Our group brings diverse backgrounds from Neuroscience to Legal Studies & Psych to CogSci. This rich interdisciplinary mix fuels our innovative work. Learn more: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/team/ #MeetTheTeam #GetToKnowUS #Innovation #Research #TeamFocus

Ever wonder who the people are leading our research adventures? ✨ Meet our Directors, Dr Jennifer Skeem and Dr Sharon Farrell. They bring passion, strategic direction, and a whole lot of expertise to our work. #MeetOurLeaders #LabFamily #LeadershipTeam #Innovation #TeamWork

Project Spotlight: Our "Playing for Change" (P4C) project empowers youth! 🌟 Award-winning "un-TILTED!" game builds self-control & life skills. We're making a real difference! See how: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-... #P4C #YouthDevelopment #GameDesign #Research

Game on! 🚀 Our student RAs are in training, gearing up for exciting fieldwork on our Playing for Change project - risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-.... So much to learn, so much to explore! #Gaming #Research #StudentPower #FieldResearch #playing4change

ICYMI: Our new website is live! ✨ Subscribe to our newsletter for essential research updates & lab insights. Don't miss out! Join here: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu
#Research #LabLife #Updates

Our new website is LIVE! 🚀 Discover an intuitive, informative, engaging experience. Explore our new design, features, and resources. Let us know what you think! Visit us: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu #ResearchLab #Policy #Justice #relaunch #digitalspace

Justice-involved youth deserve approaches rooted in science and care. Dr. Skeem shared how firm, fair, and compassionate relationships can reduce re-arrest rates and support healthy development at a recent talk with the Correctional Mental Health Leadership Network. #YouthJustice #CJReform #IACFP

Taking a trip down memory lane with one of our favorite publications from the past year. We’d love for you to check it out! ✨📖https://risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/risk-assessments-reducing-racial-disparities-pretrial-detention/ #tbt #research #publicpolicy #ucberkeley

Something new is coming! Our website is getting a fresh new look - launch happening next week. Stay connected! Sign up for updates @ risk-resilience.berkeley.edu
#WebsiteLaunch #researchlab #Innovation #comingsoon #staytuned