Christopher Beasley

Christopher Beasley is a community psychologist who conducts publicly-engaged applied research to strengthen communities while also participating in grassroots organizing to support such settings and helping students develop knowledge and skills for this type of work. As the Principal Investigator for the Post-Prison Education Research Lab (PERL), he is using a variety of psychological sub-disciplines to better understand social and psychological factors that facilitate and hinder transitions from prison to college. He is also leading efforts at the University of Washington Tacoma to strengthen support for people making the transition from prison to college.

As a community organizer, Christopher co-founded the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network – a national organization of people with college degrees who have been incarcerated. The network’s core mission is to promote the education and empowerment of formerly incarcerated people through a collective community. He also has been among the core leadership team developing a consortium of prison and post-prison education programs in Washington State. Lastly, he is a Board Director for Civil Survival–a nonprofit that organizes people directly impacted by the criminal justice system to help them build connections, gain knowledge, and increase participation in the democratic process.