Leah Perila
Postbaccaulaureate Research Fellow
Postbaccaulaureate Research Fellow
Leah Perila is a postbaccalaureate research fellow at the Institute for Social Concerns, where she works closely with reentry programming and local partners on community-based initiatives supporting adults and juveniles involved in the carceral system, in addition to conducting research within the carceral space.
As an undergraduate, Leah explored the intersection of criminal legal policy and education through research on ban-the-box policies and the distinct benefits of higher education in prison programs, an Inside-Out course at Westville Correctional Facility, and tutoring justice-impacted youth. After graduating, she spent a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working with Innocence & Justice Louisiana’s Unjust Punishment Project, where she supported post-conviction work and explored avenues for relief in cases involving the unjust incarceration of women.
Leah is a 2025 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she received a bachelor of arts in economics with a supplementary major in global affairs.