Dr. Alissa Ackerman is a professor of criminal justice at California State University, Fullerton, and co-founder of Ampersands Restorative Justice. For more than 15 years she has studied every aspect of sexual abuse and the criminal justice policies used after it occurs. She is internationally recognized for her contributions to the field and her innovative approach that has helped hundreds of people on their path toward healing. She has published several books and has written extensively on topics related to sexual abuse. Her most recent book, Healing from Sexual Violence: The Case for Vicarious Restorative Justice, was published in 2019.
Dr. Ackerman is a “pracademic” and “survivor scholar” in that she incorporates her academic training, practitioner, and personal experiences with sexual violence into her public speaking. Alissa is the co-founder and owner of Ampersands Restorative Justice and is a Criminal Justice professor at California State University, Fullerton. Alissa has dedicated her career to understanding everything she can about sexual offending, the impacts of sexual victimization, and restorative options for those impacted by sexual harm.