About MDRC
As an operations associate, Phillips focuses on the development and implementation of evaluations serving low-income populations and provides technical assistance for data collection. Phillips currently works on site engagement and reports development for Building Bridges and Bonds and Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt. Before joining MDRC, Phillips was a project coordinator at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, conducting research on air quality and health in low-income housing throughout New York City. Phillips holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University and a BA in English literature from Western Michigan University. As a graduate student, he worked at Helen Keller International in Cambodia, leading the quantitative data analysis of a national school curriculum to prevent parasitic infection among grade-school children.
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MDRC Publications
ReportLessons from an Implementation Study of the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
March, 2022The Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) project integrated procedural justice (the idea of fairness in processes) into enforcement at six child support agencies. This report presents the first systematic analysis of the implementation of the PJAC model.
BriefJune, 2021The Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) project integrates procedural justice (the idea of fairness in processes) into enforcement at six child support agencies. This brief describes PJAC’s approach to forgiving parents’ child support debt as an incentive for positive behavior—for example, making consistent payments.
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Other Publications
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Projects
Bret Barden, Sarah Picard, Michelle S. Manno, Ann Bickerton, Douglas Phillips, Osvaldo Avila, Viktoriya Syrov, Emmi Obara, Sara Ellis, Olivia Williams, Emily Brennan, Rae WalkerEvery year, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services’ Office of Diversion and Reentry ( ODR ) provides reentry services for thousands of people involved in the justice system. These services cover a wide variety of needs, ranging from employment services and skills training for individuals on adult felony probation to connections to community organizations...
Megan Millenky, Dan Bloom, Susan Scrivener, Charles Michalopoulos, Dina A. R. Israel, Johanna Walter, Lauren Cates, Sally Dai, Caroline Mage, Emily Marano, Viktoriya Syrov, Emmi Obara, Douglas Phillips, Kyla Wasserman, Lily Freedman, Osvaldo Avila, Emily Brennan, Jillian Verrillo, Gilda Azurdia, Frieda Molina, Shelley Rappaport, Clinton Key, Nandita Verma, Cynthia Miller, Jared Smith, Shawna Anderson, Kelsey Schaberg, Caitlin Anzelone, James A. Riccio, Keri West, Caroline SchultzMany Americans struggle in the labor market even when overall economic conditions are good. Unemployment is persistently high for some demographic groups and in certain geographic areas, and a large proportion of working-age adults — about two in five in 2019 — tend to be out of the labor force. Factors such as systemic racism embedded in the economy and...
Melanie Skemer, Dan Bloom, Dina A. R. Israel, Louisa Treskon, Douglas Phillips, Rebecca Behrmann, Caroline Mage, Olivia Williams, Jennifer (Jenny) Hausler, Yana Kusayeva, Cassandra T-PedersonThe Office of Child Support Enforcement launched the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt ( PJAC ) demonstration to test the efficacy of incorporating procedural justice principles into child support practices as a cost-effective alternative to contempt. In this context, contempt is a legal action involving the use of civil court proceedings against...
Dina A. R. Israel, Michelle S. Manno, Dan Bloom, JoAnn Hsueh, Charles Michalopoulos, Virginia Knox, Erika Lundquist, Electra Small, Rebecca Behrmann, Samantha Wulfsohn, Ann Bickerton, Douglas Phillips, Patrizia Mancini, Emily Brennan, Jillian Verrillo, Bret Barden, Kureem Nugent, Angela TheFathers play a unique role in their children’s lives and development, but some fathers face personal or societal barriers to positive involvement with their children — such as low levels of education, stigma from criminal records, declining wages for low-skilled men, or family instability. Responsible Fatherhood programs aim to improve the well-being of low-income...