Department of
Criminology and Criminal Justice

Professor Levesque’s scholarship explores the meaning of “We the People” and “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” These iconic phrases—from the Constitution and Declaration of Independence—continue to shape civic identity and anchor contemporary debates about rights, responsibilities, and what it means to be recognized within a democratic society. His research focuses on how individuals, especially adolescents, are recognized and treated as legal actors within society. He examines what it actually means to possess legal personhood — the capacity to exercise rights and the promise that those rights will be respected.

As a legal scholar and Editor-in-Chief of two leading empirical journals on adolescence, he helps shape scholarly inquiry by guiding the development of research and refining conceptual frameworks. In doing so, he champions rigorous empirical investigations into the social forces—such as age frameworks, cultural context, socioeconomic class, and developmental ability—that influence the emergence of personhood and define notions of “normal” development. He is particularly interested in how legal systems construct—and often constrain—human development, and how individuals respond, such as by asserting agency and pursuing lives of dignity, self-direction, and the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Bridging legal theory and developmental science, his work deepens our understanding of what it means to be included in “We the People,” showing how legal and empirical truths may collide, diverge, and ultimately coexist in shaping human identity.

For over two decades, Professor Levesque has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, the first academic journal dedicated to the study of adolescence. It is the most widely cited publication in its field and currently holds the highest Impact Factor (3.6) and Eigenfactor among journals focused on publishing primary empirical research on adolescence. The journal also leads in global readership, with more than one million full-text downloads annually and a record 1.9 million in 2024. You are encouraged to view the journal’s website here and to consider submitting your empirical work relating to the period of adolescence.

He also serves as founding Editor-in-Chief of Adolescent Research Review, now completing its tenth volume. The Review publishes critical reviews of the literature that synthesize and evaluate major contributions to the understanding of adolescence. With an Impact Factor of 8.1, it ranks second among journals in Developmental Psychology, a theoretically sophisticated and methodologically rigorous discipline that drives innovation in longitudinal and intervention research. The Review draws from a wide range of subdisciplines—including developmental science, psychological science, education, criminology, public health, medicine, social work, sociology, and other allied fields—and supports articles that bridge disciplinary gaps or explore topics that transcend traditional boundaries, advancing developmental science, practice, or policy related to adolescents.

Professor Levesque also edits Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development, a book series examining social and individual factors that contribute to adolescents’ responsibility (including irresponsibility) in multiple contexts and settings. The book series is the largest devoted to the adolescent period; it includes 25 books and several forthcoming. Please see the the current listing of books. If you would like your writing project considered, feel free to contact Dr. Levesque directly for more information.

He currently is completing the third edition of the Encyclopedia of Adolescence, the most multidisciplinary, comprehensive research compendium focused on the period of adolescence.

Professor Levesque is the recipient of numerous awards and has earned many distinctions. The Association for Psychological Science (APS) (previously the American Psychological Society) has elected him Fellow in recognition of his outstanding contributions to developmental science. In addition, the American Psychological Association (APA) has elected him Fellow in recognition of his contributions to the field of psychology and law as well as his contribution to psychology’s place in the study of social issues; he is Fellow in the American Psychology/Law Society as well as the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. He also has gained fellow status for his contributions to youth policy development, in the Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice, as well as for his contributions to developmental science, in APA’s Division 7: Developmental Psychology. Recently, Professor Levesque won the Trustees Teaching Excellence Award and the Society for Research on Adolescence Outstanding Book Award for his book entitled Not by Faith Alone. He also won the American Psychology and Law Society Outstanding Book Award, 2009, for his Adolescents, Media and the Law. He has chaired the American Orthopsychiatric Association’s Task Force on Mental Health and Human Rights and has served on several recent task forces and working groups, including some under the auspices of the American Psychological Association and the offices of the U.S. Surgeon General. For his work on human rights law, he received the Marion Langer Award (2013) from the American Orthopsychiatric Association. Professor Levesque also has led training seminars for professionals interested in a wide variety of topics relating to adolescents and the law.