Raul Armenta is a research analyst in MDRC’s Youth Development, Criminal Justice, and Employment policy area, where he plays key roles on the Los Angeles County Reentry Integrated Services Project and the Dalio opportunity youth project. His area of focus involves conducting qualitative methods in mixed-methods studies related to criminal justice reforms, programs to support the employment of youth and adults with substantial barriers to employment, and youth who are not connected to school or work.

Raul has worked with system-impacted and formerly incarcerated youth and adults and has consistently been engaged in participatory action research. His past commitments include co-founding the Underground Scholars at the University of California, Riverside, that supported formerly incarcerated students to obtain their college degree, being a Beyond the Bars Fellow for the Center for Justice at Columbia University, and serving as a researcher at Ithaka S+R where he helped develop an issue brief on reentry issues that formerly incarcerated students face while continuing their education.

Armenta holds a master’s degree in sociology and education with a specialization in educational policy from Columbia University-Teachers College. He also received a BA in sociology from the University of California, Riverside, and an AA in sociology from Cerritos College.