Linda G. Mills
Lisa Ellen Goldberg Professor; Professor of Social Work, Public Policy and Law; Executive Director, Center on Violence and Recovery; Co-Founder, NYU Of Many Institute; Co-Founder, NYU Production Lab; Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life
JD, MSW, PhD
Areas of Expertise: Domestic abuse; trauma and recovery; affective lawyering, law and public policy; student mental health; multifaith programming; film advocacy
Biography
Linda G. Mills is Professor of Social Work, Public Policy, and Law, and NYU’s inaugural Lisa Ellen Goldberg Professor and Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Global Programs and University Life. She also serves as executive director of NYU’s Center on Violence and Recovery and co-founder of NYU’s Of Many Institute for Multi-faith Leadership and NYU’s Production Lab.
Dr. Mills’ scholarly work challenges current paradigms of domestic abuse and develops a new theory and practice based on empirical research for rethinking how we respond to violence in intimate relationships. She developed the first court-mandated restorative justice program in the U.S. and conducted a study in Nogales, Arizona, comparing a batterer intervention program (BIP) to a treatment called Circles of Peace. The findings from this randomized controlled trial appear in “The Next Generation of Court-Mandated Domestic Violence Treatment,” published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology. This research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Building on the Nogales NSF research, Dr. Mills was the principal investigator on another NSF study in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr. Mills replicates and further tested the effectiveness of traditional BIP compared to a hybrid treatment of BIP plus Circles of Peace. To complement this research, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded Dr. Mills a grant titled “An In-Depth Examination of Batterer Intervention and Alternative Treatment Approaches for Domestic Violence Offenders” to collect and evaluate qualitative data on the experiment currently underway in Salt Lake City. Findings from the first part of the NSF study in Utah were recently published in Nature Human Behaviour, under the title, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Restorative Justice-Informed Treatment for Domestic Violence Crimes.”
In 2010, Dr. Mills co-directed and co-produced her first feature length documentary called Auf Wiedersehen: 'Til We Meet Again, a film that explores the intergenerational transmission of trauma from the Holocaust to 9/11. The film was an official selection at eight film festivals, including the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, and the Vienna Jewish Film Festival. In Los Angeles, the film took an Audience Award, Runner Up for Best Documentary, and was an Opening Night Selection and Best Political Film, Honorable Mention in Philadelphia. Auf Wiedersehen, ‘Til We Meet Again was approved by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture as a Holocaust remembrance tool for high school students. Dr. Mills’ other prominent film work includes, Of Many, which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival in 2014. This film examines the conflict between Jews and Muslims and an exemplary program at NYU that works to overcome those tensions. Of Many won several prizes, including Audience Awards for Best Short at both Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival and Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival. Of Many also took the prestigious Wilbur Award conferred by the Religion Communicators Council. In addition, Dr. Mills traveled with this short film to Tunisia, through a joint effort between the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Of Many: Then and Now, a feature documentary based on similar themes, premiered on ABC to an audience of over 8 million people.
Dr. Mills earned her PhD from Brandeis University, her MSW from San Francisco State University, her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and her BA from the University of California, Irvine.
Publications
Law in the round
Mills, L. G., Jun 29 2021,
The Cabinet of Imaginary Laws.
Taylor and Francis, p. 125-128
4 p.
A randomized controlled trial of restorative justice-informed treatment for domestic violence crimes
Mills, L. G., Barocas, B., Butters, R. P. & Ariel, B., Dec 1 2019,
In : Nature human behaviour. 3, 12, p. 1284-1294
11 p.
Erratum: Publisher Correction: A randomized controlled trial of restorative justice-informed treatment for domestic violence crimes (Nature human behaviour (2019) 3 12 (1284-1294))
Mills, L. G., Barocas, B., Butters, R. P. & Ariel, B., Dec 1 2019,
In : Nature human behaviour. 3, 12, p. 1344
1 p.
Changing the Domestic Violence Narrative: Aligning Definitions and Standards
Barocas, B., Emery, D. & Mills, L. G., Nov 1 2016,
In : Journal of Family Violence. 31, 8, p. 941-947
7 p.
The next generation of court-mandated domestic violence treatment: A comparison study of batterer intervention and restorative justice programs
Mills, L. G., Barocas, B. & Ariel, B., Mar 2013,
In : Journal of Experimental Criminology. 9, 1, p. 65-90
26 p.
Portfolio: 9/11 visual memories
Goodrich, P., Mills, L., Hillel, E. & Sherwin, R., 2013,
The Scene of the Mass Crime: History, Film, and International Tribunals.
Taylor and Francis, p. 213-223
11 p.
Have I Got News For You? Media, Research, & Popular Audiences
Mills, L. G., Sep 22 2011.
What is Criminology?.
Oxford University Press
Do you remember: A letter to my son
Mills, L. G., Sep 2011,
In : Traumatology. 17, 3, p. 62-66
5 p.
A Critical New Pathway Towards Change in Abusive Relationships: The Theory of Transition Framework
Shy, Y. & Mills, L. G., Dec 2010,
In : Clinical Social Work Journal. 38, 4, p. 418-425
8 p.
Insult to injury: Rethinking our responses to intimate abuse
Mills, L. G., Jan 10 2009.
Princeton University Press
Construyendo circulos de paz and the promise of peace: Restorative justice meets intimate violence
Maley, M., Mills, L. G. & Shy, Y., 2009,
In : Review of law and social change. New York University. 33, 1, p. 127-152
Police peer support programs: Current knowledge and practice
Grauwiler, P., Barocas, B. & Mills, L. G., Dec 2008,
In : International Journal of Emergency Mental Health. 10, 1, p. 27-38
12 p.
Recent Trends in Intimate Violence: Theory and Intervention Volume II Zvi Eisikovits, Peggy Grauwiler, Linda G. Mills, Zeev Winstok (Israel, United States)
Eisikovits, Z., Grauwiler, P., Mills, L. G. & Winstok, Z., Jun 2008,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 30, 6, p. 613-615
3 p.
Shame and intimate abuse: The critical missing link between cause and cure
Mills, L. G., Jun 2008,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 30, 6, p. 631-638
8 p.
Recent trends in intimate violence: Theory and intervention
Eisikovits, Z., Grauwiler, P., Mills, L. G. & Winstok, Z., Mar 2008,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 30, 3, p. 249-251
3 p.
Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse
Mills, L. G., 2008.
New York: Basic Books
The justice of recovery: How the state can heal the violence of crime
Mills, L. G., Feb 2006,
In : Hastings Law Journal. 57, 3, p. 457-508
52 p.
Enhancing safety and rehabilitation in intimate violence treatments: New perspectives
Mills, L. G., Grauwiler, P. & Pezold, N., 2006,
In : Public Health Reports. 121, 4, p. 363-368
6 p.
Justice is in the design: Creating a restorative justice treatment model for domestic violence
Grauwiler, P., Pezold, N. & Mills, L. G., 2006.
Family Approaches to Domestic Violence.
Springer Publishing Company
Intimacy and terror: Making peace with my critics
Mills, L. G., Dec 2005,
In : Violence Against Women. 11, 12, p. 1536-1543
8 p.
Moving beyond the criminal justice paradigm: A radical restorative justice approach to intimate abuse
Grauwiler, P. & Mills, L. G., 2004,
In : Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. 31, 1.
Narrative Therapy
Mills, L. G., 2004.
Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory.
Herman, D., Jahn, M. & Ryan, M. (eds.).
Fighting for Child Custody When Domestic Violence Is at Issue: Survey of State Laws
Levin, A. & Mills, L. G., Oct 2003,
In : Social Work. 48, 4, p. 463-470
8 p.
When is the personal professional in public child welfare practice? The influence of intimate partner and child abuse histories on workers in domestic violence cases
Yoshihama, M. & Mills, L. G., Mar 1 2003,
In : Child Abuse and Neglect. 27, 3, p. 319-336
18 p.
Domestic violence and child protection services: Risk Assessments
Friend, C. & Mills, L. G., 2002.
Social Workers’ Desk Reference.
Greene, G. & Roberts, A. R. (eds.).
Domestic violence assessment: Current practices and new models for improved child welfare interventions
Petrucci, C. & Mills, L. G., 2002,
In : Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention. 2, p. 153- 172
Training children's services workers in domestic violence assessment and intervention: Research findings and implications for practice
Mills, L. G. & Yoshihama, M., 2002,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 24, 8, p. 561-581
21 p.
What he knew before it all changed: A narrative from Ground Zero
Mills, L. G., 2002,
In : Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention. 2, 1, p. 23-31
Some progress is not enough: A national study of the integration of domestic violence assessment into state child welfare practice
Mills, L. G. & Petrucci, C.J., 2001.
Handbook of Intervention Strategies with Domestic Violence: Policies, Programs, and Legal Remedies.
Roberts , A. R. (ed.).Oxford University Press
The Law of White Spaces: Race, Culture, and Legal Education
Goodrich, P. & Mills, L. G., 2001,
In : Journal of Legal Education. 51, 1, p. 15-33
19 p.
Child protection and domestic violence: Training, practice, and policy issues
Mills, L. G., Friend, C., Conroy, K., Fleck-Henderson, A., Krug, S., Magen, R. H., Thomas, R. L. & Trudeau, J. H., May 2000,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 22, 5, p. 315-332
18 p.
Affective Lawyering: Reformulating the lawyer-client relation
Mills, L. G., 2000.
Practicing Therapeutic Jurisprudence.
Winick, B., Stolle, D. & Wexler, D. (eds.).Carolina Academic Press
Feminist phallacies: Prenatal drug exposure and the power of law
Mills, L. G., 2000,
In : Law and Social Inquiry. 25, 4, p. 1215-1226
Woman abuse and child protection: A tumultuous marriage (Part I)
Mills, L. G., 2000,
In : Children and Youth Services Review. 22, 3-4, p. 199-205
7 p.
A Penchant for Prejudice: Unraveling Bias in Judicial Decision-making
Mills, L. G., 1999.
Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press, Law Series
Killing her softly: Intimate abuse and the violence of state interventions
Mills, L. G., 1999,
In : Harvard Law Review. 113, p. 550-613
Hope for law: Narrative therapy and intimate abuse practice
Mills, L. G., 1998,
In : Behavioral Sciences and the Law. 16, p. 525-533
Integrating domestic violence assessment into child protective services intervention: Policy and practice implications
Mills, L. G., 1998.
Battered Women and Their Families: Intervention Strategies and Treatment Programs.
Roberts, A. R. (ed.).Springer Publishing Company
Mandatory arrest and prosecution policies for domestic violence: A critical literature review and the case for more research to test victim empowerment approaches
Mills, L. G., 1998,
In : Criminal Justice and Behavior. 25, 3, p. 306-318
13 p.
The Heart of Intimate Abuse: New Interventions in Child Welfare, Criminal Justice, and Health Settings
Mills, L. G., 1998.
New York: Springer Publishing Company
Benefitting from violence: A preliminary analysis of the presence of abuse in the lives of the new SSI disability recipients
Mills, L. G., 1997,
In : Sexuality and Disability. 15, 2, p. 99-108
10 p.
Empowering battered women transnationally: The case for postmodern interventions
Mills, L. G., 1997.
Social Policy Reform, Research and Practice.
Ewalt, P., Freeman, E., Kirk, S. & Poole, D. (eds.).NASW Press
Intuition and insight: A new job description for the battered woman’s prosecutor and other more modest proposals
Mills, L. G., 1997,
In : UCLA Women’s Law Journal. 7, p. 183-199
Empowering Battered Women Transnationally: The Case for Postmodern Interventions
Mills, L., May 1996,
In : Social Work. 41, 3, p. 261-268
8 p.
On the other side of silence: Affective lawyering for intimate abuse
Mills, L. G., 1996,
In : Cornell Law Review. 81, 6,
1 p.
Slipping them a mickey: Disability benefits, substance addictions, and the (un)deserving poor
Mills, L. G. & Arjo, T., 1996,
In : Georgetown Journal on Fighting Poverty. 3, p. 125-160
Toward a new dynamic in poverty client empowerment: The rhetoric, politics, and therapeutics of opening statements in disability hearings
Durston, L. & Mills, L. G., 1996,
In : Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. 8, p. 119-144
A calculus for bias: How malingering females, dependent housewives, and macho men fare in the Social Security disability system
Mills, L. G., 1993,
In : Harvard Women’s Law Journal. 16, p. 211-232