Michael Serota

Michael Serota is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, an Associate Deputy Director at the Academy for Justice, an Affiliated Faculty Member of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Lab.

Professor Serota studies criminal law and public policy, with a focus on mens rea and criminal justice reform.  His research blends doctrinal legal analysis with insights drawn from philosophy, psychology, criminology, and years of criminal justice reform work.  By approaching law from the perspective of those who shape it, Professor Serota's scholarship bridges the gap between criminal law theory and the realities of government decision-making. 

Professor Serota's scholarship can be found in print journals such as the California Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Wake Forest Law Review, and William & Mary Law Review, as well as in the online publications of the Harvard Law Review, Yale Law Journal, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and University of Michigan Law Review.  And his op-eds have appeared in outlets such as the Boston Review, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today.  Professor Serota's work has been translated into two languages and cited hundreds of times, including by state and federal courts, casebooks, and legal treatises.

Professor Serota advises state governments, reform organizations, and media outlets on criminal justice reform, building on his years of legislative experience.  Prior to joining ASU, Professor Serota served as the chief policy counsel for the only ground-up criminal code reform project to take place in the United States since the 1980s.  During that time, he authored an innovative set of general culpability provisions and an accompanying legal commentary that builds upon the last fifty years of mens rea scholarship, legislation, and case law.  Professor Serota has also taught introductory courses on criminal justice to incarcerated and at-risk youth through Georgetown Law’s D.C. Street Law Clinic and Berkeley Law’s Advocates for Youth Justice Program.