Tommaso Bardelli is principal, Justice Initiatives, at Ithaka S+R. By conducting research, sharing expertise, and developing partnerships, the Justice Initiatives program aims to expand access to knowledge, education, and ethical technology for incarcerated learners across the United States. As principal, Tommaso oversees a variety of projects examining incarcerated people’s experiences with higher education, their artistic and intellectual production, and the role of cultural institutions in facilitating successful reintegration after prison.    

Tommaso holds a BA in history from the Università degli Studi di Milano, and a PhD in Political Science from Yale University. He was previously a senior researcher at New York University, where he co-founded the NYU Prison Education Program Research Lab, a collaboration between faculty and formerly incarcerated students conducting research on the financial costs of mass incarceration. Prior to joining Ithaka S+R, he was the director of research and popular education at Worth Rises, a non-profit organization advocating against private and corporate interests in the criminal justice system.     

Tommaso has written extensively on the economic and social consequences of mass incarceration in the United States. His work has been featured in newspapers and magazines—including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Appeal, and The New Yorker—as well as academic and public interest journals.