A5060353525- Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Health Policy Implementation Science
- Homelessness and Social Issues
- Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Policing Practices and Perceptions
- Education Discipline and Inequality
- Legal Education and Practice Innovations
- Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints
- Legal Systems and Judicial Processes
- Child Abuse and Trauma
- Regulation and Compliance Studies
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
- LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Law in Society and Culture
- Higher Education Practises and Engagement
- Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
- Labor Movements and Unions
- Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Work Education and Practice
- Child Welfare and Adoption
- Evaluation of Teaching Practices
Sam Houston State University
2022-2024
George Mason University
2014-2023
Ministry of Law and Justice
2013-2014
Risk and needs assessment (RNA) tools are well regarded as a critical component of community corrections organization implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs), given the potential impact using such on offender-level system outcomes. The current study examines how probation officers (POs) use validated RNA tool in two adult settings. Using interview observational data, this explores POs an during all facets their work from preplanning, routine administrative tasks, face-to-face case...
By conceptualizing street-level bureaucrats (SLBs) as the ultimate policy makers, Michael Lipsky (1980) focused attention on interaction between citizens and state at organizational front lines. In subsequent years, research SLBs provided significant insight into interactions of citizens. particular, scholarship has inherently autonomous nature work discretion these agents possess. Work in this area traditionally relied teachers, social workers, police officers sources for empirical study...
In problem-solving courts judges are no longer neutral arbitrators in adversarial justice processes. Instead, directly engage with court participants. The movement towards models emerges from a collaborative therapeutic jurisprudence framework. While most scholars argue the central courtroom actors within courts, we find stars front-stage, but play more supporting role backstage. We use Goffman's front-stage-backstage framework to analyze 350 hours of ethnographic fieldwork five courts....
Background Alcohol and opioid use disorders are common among adults under community supervision. Although several medications (medication-assisted treatment or MAT) Food Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to treat such disorders, they underutilized with this population despite established effectiveness at decreasing substance use. This paper examines how correctional agents’ understanding of addiction views MAT influence their professional actions regarding medications. Methods A total 118...
Abstract How do parole officers manage technical violations in an organizational environment where are not supported by management? Using ethnographic data collected during three years (1300 hours) of fieldwork with California (POs) from 2003 to 2006, this paper considers how POs violators after the initiation a rehabilitation-focused reform that encouraged avoid violating parolees for technical/administrative except most egregious or troublesome cases. Data analysis suggests often viewed...
Any time organizations undertake change processes there are questions about mobilizing support for the ( Vallas 2003 ). Two essential factors (1) how organizational is framed by both organization and its employees (2) whether or not in a way that aligns any meaningful with actors' interpretations. This article considers middle managers as first‐line interpreters of policy changes offers look at their patterned response to reform mandates. Middle managers' interpretation practice provides...
Implementation research is emerging in the field of corrections, but few studies have examined complexities associated with implementing change among frontline workers embedded specific organizational cultures. Using a mixed methods approach, authors examine challenges faced by correctional work release facility during their transformation into reentry center. Findings reveal that staff report low readiness for while observational and interview data confirm attitudes accompanying behaviors...
Community corrections agencies in the United States must respond to and refine organizational practices depending on both internal (i.e. staff, resources, etc.) external factors political change, legislative action or union influence). Most prior studies emphasize experiences of either upper management line but few focus middle managers, who play a 'strategic role' reform. The current study explores way(s) managers address policy implementation that often require reconcilement conflict...
Sustainable, collaborative partnerships provide a dynamic and fluid environment for studying implementing policy practice in justice agencies. However, these relationships take work to develop, grow, maintain, sustain. Bridging the gap between academics criminal practitioners requires solid built on access, agreement, goal setting, feedback, relationship maintenance. When components merge, both groups benefit from resilient partnership with potential dramatically improving outcomes. A...
The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) reforms correctional institutions via administrative mechanisms and represents a major shift in both policy workplace practice. Using qualitative data within six prisons one U.S. state, finding suggest that staff view PREA as an administrative, safety, cultural burden, which creates misalignment of institutional logics. Rather than seeing themselves central to eliminating prison sexual misconduct/violence, see interfering with their “real”...
Problem solving (PS) courts (e.g., drug, family, gang, prostitution, reentry) are becoming more commonplace. Today, PS exist or planned in nearly all of the ninety‐four U.S. federal districts. These focus on integrating therapeutic jurisprudence into courtroom environment while emphasizing group decision‐making processes among workgroup members. In this legal setting, teams, regularly consisting judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, probation officers (POs), and treatment providers engage...
Two meta-theoretical traditions mark research on conflict resolution in organizations: the rationalist tradition, which portrays organizations as goal-directed collectivities and a threat to efficiency performance; cultural normative constituted by ongoing social interaction, interpretive dynamics, institutional environments, emphasizes interplay of law inequalities interpersonal collective organizational resolution. Within these traditions, we distinguish between structural processual...
Presently, many correctional organizations seek to change both policy and practice improve offender outcomes. The occupational roles played by staff management represent an imperative part of the equation. This article provides a historical scientific overview scholarship on within agencies discussing how theoretical shifts in ideology impact workers think, behave make decisions regarding individuals they supervise. We focus current shift emphasizing use evidence-based practices (EBPs),...
Growing research identifies the importance of communication between probation officers and probationers. The current study examines use motivational, client-centered strategies in an adult setting. Using surveys observational data, this work explores: (a) whether are comfortable using motivational (b) how communicate with Findings suggest attempt to integrate techniques their interactions, directive, but authoritarian dominate officer– probationer interactions. Study implications emphasize...
Problem-solving (PS) courts continue to proliferate throughout the country, providing an ideal setting for understanding factors affecting use of rewards, a key part one evidence-based practice (EBP), contingency management (CM). This study uses concept transportability explore how justice practitioners implement CM. Based on roughly 400 h ethnographic fieldwork, conducted over 34 months in six PS courts, we examine implementation and adaptation While decisions adopt practices are...
Many community supervision agencies use a risk/need assessment tool (RNA) to assess client risk level, inform case planning decisions, and allocate resources. Research suggests do not always implement RNA tools as intended, without offering practitioners solutions for improving these implementation concerns. Using participatory action research framework, this study highlights one probation office's efforts improve their fidelity concerns by using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), data driven...
Undergraduate programs across the country are working to develop students as scholars, integrating independent scholarly experiences into traditional undergraduate classroom environments (see, e.g. George Mason University's Students Scholars Quality Enhancement Plan; Boston University’s Research Opportunities Program; University of Houston’s Learning through Discovery; Michigan’s Opportunity etc.). and universities have touted benefits engaging in research for well faculty. However, there is...
Many criminal justice institutions implement evidence-based reforms. While most scholars are aware of implementation challenges, we still know relatively little about sustainability. Using longitudinal data from legal staff implementing an reform, this paper considers: What happens during the organizational reform that affects continued use these reforms? Guided by change framework, findings suggest sustainability aligns with key goals including legitimacy, efficiency and effectiveness. all...
Abstract Organizational culture is an obscure and poorly understood part of organizational life. In scholarly work, researchers use as both a catch‐all term black box intrigue. The former suggests its omnipresence ability to take the blame for all that ills organizations. latter denotes mythical misunderstood invisible cloak covers organizations life, yet misconstrued, complex, confusing. This paper presents brief summary multidisciplinary history concept operationalized while simultaneously...
Staff commitment to agency goals is important in juvenile justice settings, where the mission oscillates between often-competing of rehabilitating youth and punishing them. Although prior research considers how staff characteristics relate to, and/or cynicism about, criminal organizations, less work examines these relationships even effects attitudes toward punishment. The current study assesses influence rehabilitative punitive on organizational a ( n = 204). Multilevel analyses evaluating...