My research broadly examines disparities in the U.S. criminal and juvenile justice systems. Originally trained as a political scientist, I have considered how, if at all, policymakers have responded to inequalities in justice processing. My current research assesses the size and sources of disparity in criminal processing as well as the impacts of justice reforms. My work also places an emphasis on providing results that help Delaware policymakers design fairer processing practices.
Donnelly, Ellen, Daniel O’Connell, Madeline Stenger, Adam Gavnik*, Jullianne Regalado*, Emalie Rell*. 2025. The Cost Savings of Diversion Through Mental Health Co-responder Programs. Applied Police Briefings, 1(1): 19-21. https://doi.org/10.22215/apb.v1i1
Donnelly, Ellen, Daniel O’Connell, Madeline Stenger, Adam Gavnik*, Jullianne Regalado*, Emalie Rell*. Mental Health Co-responder Programs: Assessing Impacts and Estimating the Cost Savings of Diversion from Hospitalization and Incarceration. Police Practice and Research. Online first: November 21, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2024.2431031
Donnelly, Ellen, Madeline Stenger, Daniel O'Connell, Adam Gavnik*, Jullianne Regalado*, Laura Bayona-Roman. (2024) "Police Officer Attitudes Toward Pre-arrest Behavioral Health Diversion Programs: Identifying Determinants of Support for Deflection Using a Machine Learning Method." Policing: An International Journal, 47(4): 648-662. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2023-0158
Donnelly, Ellen and Emily Tavares-Sanches**. “Opioid Misuse and Legislative Responses in U.S. States: Politics and Law-making to Address a Public Health Crisis." Journal of Crime and Justice. Online first: October 30, 2023: https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2023.2272241
Wagner, Jascha, Ellen Donnelly, Cresean Hughes, Andrew Gray, Chenesia Brown*, Daniel O’Connell, and Tammy Anderson. (2023). “Race and Rationality Revisited: An Empirical Examination of Differential Travel Patterns to Acquire Drugs Across Geographic Contexts.” American Journal of Criminal Justice. 48: 1343-1371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-023-09742-8
Donnelly, Ellen, Daniel O'Connell, Madeline Stenger, Jessica Arnold, Adam Gavnik*. (2023). "Law Enforcement-Based Outreach and Treatment Referral as a Response to Opioid Misuse: Assessing Reductions in Overdoses and Costs." Police Quarterly. 26(4): 441-465. https://doi.org/10.1177/10986111221143784
Jeffrey Swanson, Guanyu Tong, Michele Easter, Josie Caves Sivaraman, Elizabeth J. Gifford, Brett O. Gardner, Ellen Donnelly, Kelly E. Evans, William E. Copeland, Marvin S. Swartz, and Richard J. Bonnie. (2022). "Gun violence among Young Adults with a Juvenile Crime Record in North Carolina: Implications for Firearm Restrictions based on Age and Risk." Preventive Medicine. 165(A): 107279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107279
Donnelly, Ellen, Chenesia Brown*, Allison McBride, Leo Beletsky, and Tammy Anderson. (2023). “Emerging Disparities in the Placement of Law Enforcement-Based Treatment Referral and Recovery Programs.” Criminal Justice Review. 48(3): 359-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734016822111710
Donnelly, Ellen and Christen Asiedu**. (2022). “Meeting the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Mandate: Lessons from State Assessments of Minority Overrepresentation and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice Systems.” Journal of Crime and Justice. 45(3): 363-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2021.1952102
Donnelly, Ellen. (2021) “Race, Neighborhoods, and Sentencing: How Social Conditions and Neighborhood Types Affect Incarceration Disparities.” Justice System Journal. 42(3-4): 230-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/0098261X.2021.1882918
Donnelly, Ellen, Jascha Wagner*, Tammy Anderson, and Daniel O’Connell. (2022). “Revisiting Neighborhood Context and Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests Under the Opioid Epidemic.” Race and Justice. 12(2): 322-343. https://doi.org/10.1177/2153368719877222
Donnelly, Ellen. (2022). “Neighborhoods, Criminal Incidents, and Sentencing: Exploring the Racial and Social Context of Incarceration Sentence Disparities.” British Journal of Criminology. 62(2): 145-164. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azab046
Donnelly, Ellen, Jascha Wagner, Cresean Hughes, Andrew Gray*, Tammy Anderson, and Daniel O’Connell. (2021). “Opioids, Race, Context, and Journeys to Crime: Analyzing Black-White Differences in Travel Associated with Opioid Possession Offenses.” Criminal Justice and Behavior. 48(12): 1714-1731. https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548211006757
Donnelly, Ellen, Madeline Stenger*, Shannon Streisel*, Daniel O’Connell, and Jessica Arnold.(2021). “Addressing Opioid Misuse: Hero Help as a Recovery and Behavioral Health Response.” Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being. 6(3): 142-147. https://doi.org/10.35502/jcswb.191
Wagner, Jascha, Logan Neitzke-Spruill*, Ellen Donnelly, Daniel O’Connell, and Tammy Anderson. (2021). “The Current Community Context of Overdose Deaths: Relations among Drug Types, Drug Markets, and Socioeconomic Neighborhood Characteristics.” Sociological Forum. 36(4): 1005-1027. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12746
Anderson, Tammy, Ellen Donnelly, Chris Delcher, and Yanning Wang. (2021). “Data Science Approaches in Criminal Justice and Public Health Research: Lessons Learned from Opioid Projects.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice. 37(2): 175-191. https://doi-org/10.1177/1043986221999858
Donnelly, Ellen, Jascha Wagner*, Madeline Stenger*, Hannah Cortina*, Daniel O’Connell, and Tammy Anderson. (2021). “Opioids, Race, and Drug Enforcement: Exploring Local Relationships Between Neighborhood Context and Black-White Opioid-related Possession Arrests.” Criminal Justice Policy Review. 32(3): 219–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403420911415
Leiber, Michael, Ellen Donnelly, Yunmei (Iris) Yu. (2021). “What Context Matters and at What Level? A Test of Racial/Ethnic Threat, Symbolic Threat, and Structural Inequality Perspectives in Juvenile Court Decision-making.” Crime & Delinquency. 67(2): 234-261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128720938344
Donnelly, Ellen and Christen Asiedu.** (2020). “Neighborhoods and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Judicial Processing.” Sociology Compass. 14(9):1-17: https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12822
Anderson, Tammy, Jascha Wagner*, Guanwen Qi, Steve Martin, Daniel O’Connell, and Ellen Donnelly. (2020).“Prescription Drug Histories among Drug Overdose Decedents in Delaware.” Substance Use & Misuse. 55(11): 1892-1899. http://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2020.1775650
Niven, David and Ellen Donnelly. 2020 “Who Challenges Disparities in Capital Punishment?: An Analysis of State Legislative Floor Debates on Death Penalty Reform.” Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice. 18(2): 95-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377938.2019.1710316
Donnelly, Ellen and Nicole Salvatore**. 2019. “Emerging Patterns in Federal Responses to Police Misconduct: A Review of 'Pattern and Practice' Agreements over Time.” Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society. https://ccjls.scholasticahq.com/article/11131-emerging-patterns-in-federal-responses-to-police-misconduct-a-review-of-pattern-or-practice-agreements-over-time
Dollar, Cindy Brooks, Ellen Donnelly, and Karen Parker. 2019. "Joblessness, Poverty, and Neighborhood Crime: Testing Wilson’s Assertions of Jobless Poverty." Social Currents. 6(4): 343 –360. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329496519836075
Donnelly, Ellen. 2019. “Do Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Mandate Reforms Change Decision-making? : Decomposing Disparities in the Juvenile Justice System.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice. 17(3): 288- 308. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204018790667
MacDonald, John and Ellen Donnelly. 2019. “Evaluating the Role of Race in Sentencing: An Entropy Weighting Analysis.” Justice Quarterly. 36(4): 656-681. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2017.1415368
Donnelly, Ellen and John MacDonald. 2018. “The Downstream Effects of Bail and Pretrial Detention on Racial Disparities in Incarceration.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 108(4): 775-814. Available: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc/vol108/iss4/4/
Donnelly, Ellen. 2018. “Can Legislatures Redress Racial Discrimination in Capital Punishment? : Evaluating Racial Justice Acts in Response to McCleskey.” The Journal of Criminal Law. 82(5): 388-401. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022018318787252
Donnelly, Ellen. 2017. “Racial Disparity Reform: Racial Inequality and Policy Responses in U.S. National Politics.” Journal of Crime and Justice. 40(4): 462-477. https://doi.org/10.1080/0735648X.2016.1176950
Donnelly, Ellen. 2017. “The Politics of Racial Disparity Reform: Racial Inequality and Criminal Justice Policymaking in the States.” American Journal of Criminal Justice. 42(1): 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9344-8
Donnelly, Ellen. 2017. “The Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Mandate: An Examination of Its Impacts on Juvenile Justice Processing Outcomes (1997-2011).” Criminal Justice Policy Review. 28(4): 347-369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403415585139
State of Delaware- Criminal Justice Council. Delaware’s COAP Saving Lives. Funded by: Bureau of Justice Assistance. Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP). Subgrant Number: 2019-AR-Passthru-2663. PI: Daniel O’Connell. Role: Co-Principal Investigator. 5/2021-Present https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2019-ar-bx-k047
National Institute of Justice, US Department of Justice. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions and Misconduct Behind Bars: A Randomized Control Trial of CBI-CC. (2018-75-CX-0020). PI: Daniel O’Connell. Role: Statistician. 01/2019-9/2023. https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2018-75-cx-0020.
State of Delaware- Criminal Justice Council. Delaware’s 2019 Second Chance Act: Innovations in Reentry Initiative: Focus on Evidence-Based Strategies for Successful Reentry from Incarceration to Community. (2019-CZ-BX-0030). PI: Daniel O’Connell. Role: Co-Principal Investigator. 4/2021-Present. https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2019-cz-bx-0030
State of Delaware. Delaware’s 2017 Second Chance Act: Innovations in Reentry Initiative: Focus on Evidence-Based Strategies for Successful Reentry from Incarceration to Community. (2017-CZ-BX-0010). PI: Daniel O’Connell. Role: Data Analyst. 11/2021-1/2022. https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2017-cz-bx-0010
New Castle County. Hero Help- Addiction and Behavioral Health Project (2019-AR-BX-K027) & Addiction and Behavioral Health Unit (2019-MO-BX-0013). Funded by: Bureau of Justice Assistance. Agency lead: New Castle County Division of Police. PI: Daniel O’Connell. Role: Co-Principal Investigator. 6/2020-9/2023. https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2019-ar-bx-k027 & https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2019-mo-bx-0013
Duke University School of Medicine. PI: Jeffrey Swanson. Funded by: Joyce Foundation. Juvenile Delinquency and Adult Gun Sales (JDAGS). University of Delaware Subaward. PI: Christy Visher. Role: Co-Principal Investigator. 9/2019-9/2022.
National Institute of Justice, US Department of Justice. Delaware Opioid Metric Intelligence Project. (2017-IJ-CX-0016). PIs: Tammy L. Anderson and Daniel O’Connell. Role: Co-Investigator. 11/2018-8/2020. https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/awards/2017-ij-cx-0016
State of Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts. Examining the Social Causes of Arrests and Criminal Processing in Delaware. PI: Ellen Donnelly, Co-PI: Karen Parker. 07/2018- 2/2019.
State of Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts. Evaluating the Role of Race in Criminal Justice Adjudications in Delaware. PI: John MacDonald. Role: Ph.D. Research Associate. 1/2016-7/2016.
O’Connell, Daniel, Emalie Rell, Christy Visher, and Ellen Donnelly. January 2024. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions and Misconduct Behind Bars: A Randomized Control Trial of CBI-CC.” Submitted to the National Institute of Justice.
O’Connell, Daniel, Adam Gavnik, and Ellen Donnelly. January 2024. “New Castle County Division of Police Behavioral Health Unit Mental Health Final Report. Submitted to New Castle County Division of Police and Bureau of Justice Assistance.
O’Connell, Daniel, Ellen Donnelly, Dorothy Dillard, and Tanya Whittle. May 2022. “Delaware’s KEY
CREST 2015 Continuum of Care Treatment Evaluation.” Submitted to the Delaware Department of Correction.
Donnelly, Ellen and Karen Parker. Feb. 2019. “Examining the Social Causes of Arrest and Criminal Processing in Delaware.” Submitted to the Delaware State Administrative Office of the Courts.
Donnelly, Ellen and John MacDonald. Mar. 2017. “Extension of Delaware Disparity Study: Assessing Bail Processes and Pretrial Decision-Making.” Submitted to Chief Justice Leo Strine & Access to Justice Commission. Findings reproduced by Chief Magistrate Alan Davis at: www.dcjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/UUDAN-presentation.pptx
MacDonald, John and Ellen Donnelly. Sep. 2016. “Evaluating the Role of Race in Criminal Justice Adjudications in Delaware.” Submitted to Chief Justice Leo Strine & Access to Justice Commission. http://courts.delaware.gov/supreme/docs/DE_DisparityReport.pdf
Donnelly, Ellen and Emily Tavares-Sanches**. (2022). “Race and Sentencing Research Advancements.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Criminology of Oxford University Press. Ed. Beth M. Huebner. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0321
Boruch, Robert and Ellen Donnelly. 2015. “Privacy of Individuals in Social Research: Confidentiality.” In James Wright (ed.) International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2015.
Donnelly, Ellen. 2010. "Understanding the 'God Talk Paradox': A Review of Presidential Religious Rhetoric and Public Opinion." A Dialogue on Presidential Challenges and Leadership: Papers of the 2009-2010 Center Fellows.