Dr. Harris comes to the UML faculty with over 17 years of experience developing and managing innovative public sector policies and programs in both the criminal justice and human service arenas.  He has been with the UMass system since 1998, and has been affiliated with the UML Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology since 2005. 

Prior to moving to Massachusetts, Dr. Harris held several senior management positions in New York City government, serving as a supervising analyst in the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, as Assistant Commissioner in the New York City Department of Correction, and as Associate Executive Director for Correctional Health Services in City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation.

In 1998, he was recruited by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he helped to establish the University’s nationally recognized program providing health and mental health services to the Massachusetts inmate population.  As assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, he spearheaded the establishment of the Health and Criminal Justice Research Steering Committee, initiating projects involving clinical interventions for substance abusers, Hepatitis C treatment outcomes, and the long-term care needs of the commonwealth’s inmate population.

Dr. Harris’ recent research has focused primarily on the intersection between criminal justice and health and human services.  He has written and conducted policy research on such topics as substance abuse treatment, behavioral health, prisoner re-entry, correctional health care, and sex offender management.