Alisa Guthrie

Alisa Guthrie is a licensed clinical social worker with experience advocating for vulnerable populations in intimate partner violence legal assistance clinics, healthcare settings, and the criminal justice system. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., she was recruited as the first LCSW in Florida's Eighth Judicial Circuit Office of the Public Defender, where she led mitigation efforts by providing comprehensive assessments and advocacy to support clients in criminal cases, particularly focusing on mental health, trauma, and social factors influencing behavior. Ms. Guthrie specializes in systems-level analysis of the criminal justice system, bringing both clinical expertise and advocacy experience to her role at Florida State University’s Institute for Justice Research and Development. She holds a Bachelor of Sociology from Moravian University and a Master of Social Work from Florida State University. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Florida State University.