She received her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from University of California at Santa Cruz in 2004. Dr. Smith specializes in Legal Psychology, or the areas where law and psychology intersect around issues of social justice. Her activism and research integrate her academic and professional experience, and focus on topics related to the death penalty, the effects of incarceration, and successful reintegration of individuals after release from prison.