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Caitlin Cavanagh

Associate Professor

532 Baker Hall

caitcav@msu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

The Adjust Lab

Department of Psychology

Area of Expertise

Juvenile Justice

Biography

Caitlin Cavanagh is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Broadly, her research focuses on the intersections of psychology and the law, and how social contexts shape adolescent behavior. A developmental psychologist by training, she is particularly interested in family dynamics as they relate to the legal system. Her program of research seeks to produce developmentally sound research that can improve how the juvenile justice system interfaces with

Education

PhD 2016, University of California Irvine

MA 2013, University of California Irvine

BA 2011, University of Rochester

Publications

Chlebuch, N., Paruk, J., Cavanagh, C., Frick, P., Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (2025). Beyond reoffending and rearrest: Expanding the collateral consequences of formal processing to youth homelessness. Justice Quarterly, 42(4), 749-766.

Cavanagh, C., Orr, C., Kitzmiller, M. K., Mistrett, M., Martinez, R., & Villarruel, F. (2024). Understanding the lived experiences of youth incarcerated in adult facilities through their letters: A content analysis. Punishment & Society, 26(5), 813-839.

Cavanagh, C., Simmons, C., Liggett O’Malley, R., Frick, P., Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (2024). The Moderating Role of Maternal CU Traits in the Stability of Justice-Involved Adolescents’ CU Traits. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 53(4), 562-576.

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Research and Grants

The Siblings Study

The Juvenile Risk Assessment Study

The Short-Term Detention Study

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