David Topel joined CJA in January of 2020. Prior to joining CJA, he worked in policy and research at the Office of Institutional Research of The City University of New York. He has taught courses in criminal justice and public management at John Jay College. He holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from The Graduate Center and John Jay College of CUNY. Previously he completed a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) at Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas Venezuela, and an M.A. in Government and Security Studies from the IDC-Herzliya in Israel.

At CJA, David is part of the Research Department, and has an interest in mapping and visualizing data, using behavioral science to improve pretrial release decision making processes and measures of justice equality. His general research interests include homicide and violence determinants, spatial analysis, equal access to justice, and judicial reform in Latin America.