Teaching areas: 1) Research methods and analysis; 2) Mental health practice.

The focus of my research is twofold: examining the causes and effects of incarceration for men and their families, and examining racial disparities in the administration of justice.

Sara Goodkind's research focuses on programs and services for young people, particular those in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. She is interested in how understandings of gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, and age shape service design and delivery and how that, in turn, affects young people’s, parents’, and staff members’ mental health and well-being. Much of her work has focused on girls in the juvenile justice system, and she is involved with efforts to improve the system and prevent and develop alternatives to girls' involvement with it.

My research agenda has been concentrated in two areas. First, I have been examining issues facing children and adolescents and their families. I am interested in the impact of race, socio-economic status, gender, education, crime, and family on the involvement of children and their families as they navigate their way through major systems (i.e. welfare, justice, and healthcare). Second, I have been exploring personal perceptions and attitudes towards offenders, focusing on sexual offenders and mentally ill offenders. I use an interdisciplinary approach in my research and utilize resources derived from criminal justice, psychology, history, minority studies, social work, gerontology, and rural studies.