Robert B. Coates is currently part-time senior research associate with the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking . He has held positions as associate director, Harvard Center for Criminal Justice; associate professor, University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration; and professor of social work, University of Utah Graduate School of Social Work. Coates has also spent a dozen years serving churches as a pastor. He has authored numerous publications on deinstitutionalization, community-based services, system change, and restorative justice.