Digital Commons Network^™

Teaching Compassion In Prison: A Key To Learning, Em Strang

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

In a project with long-term prisoners at HMP Dumfries, Scotland, tutors and students explore the notion and application of compassion, focusing in particular on the ways in which understanding compassion enables learning – not just the learning of academic subjects but also of interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. The project highlights the benefits of teaching a so-called extracurricular subject, at the same time as revealing its centrality to learning in the first place. A lack of adequate teaching time in prison, and the fact that compassion is not considered a core subject in education, are both cited as obstacles in …

Preliminary Results Of The Louisiana Sex Offender Treatment Program, Lee A. Underwood, Frances L.L. Dailey, Carrie Merino, Yolanda Crump

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

The purpose of this study was to offer preliminary support for the Louisiana Sex Offender Treatment Program (LSOTP) in addressing the needs of juvenile sex offenders. Research objectives were (1) to offer statistical evidence for reductions in anxiety, depression, cognitive distortion and negative attitudes towards women comparing a group of 21 adolescents, 12 of whom received services as usual and nine of whom participated in the LSOTP. A controlled experimental evaluation design was utilized. The juvenile sex offenders were randomly assigned to the experimental group for 12 weeks receiving treatment services and a control group receiving care “as usual” in …

Barriers To Participation In Vocational Orientation Programmes Among Prisoners, Dorien Brosens, Liebeth De Donder, Sarah Dury, Dominique Verté

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

This study investigates the barriers to prisoners’ participation in vocational education, as well as the predictors of different types of barriers. Survey data derived from a project in a remand prison in Belgium (N=468) provided the empirical evidence for the analyses. The results indicate that facing situational and informational barriers are most common. Based on the different kinds of barriers, various types of non-participants can be distinguished and multinomial logistic regression analyses are conducted to identify in what way participants of vocational education differ from various types of non-participants. For instance, prisoners with a poor understanding of the Dutch language …

Commonwealth Times 2015-10-26

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2015-10-19

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2015-09-28

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Correctional Practitioners On Reentry: A Missed Perspective, Elaine Gunnison, Jacqueline B. Helfgott, Cecilie Wilhelm

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

Much of the literature on reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals revolves around discussions of failures they incur during reintegration or the identification of needs and challenges that they have during reentry from the perspective of community corrections officers. The present research fills a gap in the reentry literature by examining the needs and challenges of formerly incarcerated individuals and what makes for reentry success from the perspective of correctional practitioners (i.e., wardens and non-wardens). The views of correctional practitioners are important to understand the level of organizational commitment to reentry and the ways in which social distance between correctional professionals …

Racial Disparities And Similarities In Post-Release Recidivism And Employment Among Ex-Prisoners With A Different Level Of Education, Susan Klinker Lockwood, John M. Nally, Taiping Ho, Katie Knutson

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

Previous studies rarely examined racial disparities in post-release employment and recidivism. Finding a job is an immediate challenge to all released ex-prisoners, and often more difficult for African American ex-prisoners who typically return to economically-depressed neighborhoods upon release from prison. The present researchers conducted a 5-year (2005-2009) follow-up study in an attempt to understand racial disparities in post-release employment and recidivism among 6,394 released ex-prisoners (2,531 Caucasian and 3,863 African American), while controlling for the ex-prisoner’s level of education. Results of this study showed that African American ex-prisoners had a higher unemployment rate and recidivism rate than Caucasian ex-prisoners. This …

Commonwealth Times 2015-04-27

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2015-03-16

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Inside The Institution Of The Prison: A Researcher’S Perspective, Jane Carrigan

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

This paper provides a researcher’s perspective on conducting research in prisons and offers advice for researchers. It provides a reflection on research experiences gained in prisons in Ireland. The author argues that by reading as much as you can, understanding the prison for what it is, knowing the context in which the prison operates and, in particular, by making connections with others, prison researchers will be able to negotiate the often difficult research journey and may also be in a position to help other researchers too.

Commonwealth Times 2015-02-23

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Prisons, Pipelines, And Pedagogy: Diary Of The Birth Of A Behind-Bars College Program Part 2, Baz Dreisinger

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

The second in a two-part series on beginning a college program for prisoners.

Your True Freedom, Jena Rausch

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

Your True Freedom is about my journey teaching inmates the fundamental truths of self worth, self acceptance and self love--through writing, mindfulness meditation and emotional healing. It is a journey that continues to enlighten me and to heal and free the inmates with whom I work.

Commonwealth Times 2015-02-09

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2015-02-02

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Hispanic Subgroups, Acculturation, And Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes, Karen G. Chartier, Tom Carmody, Maleeha Akhtar, Mary B. Stebbins, Scott T. Walters, Diane Warden

Social Work Publications

This study explored Hispanic subgroup differences in substance use treatment outcomes, and the relationship of acculturation characteristics to these outcomes. Data were from a multisite randomized clinical trial of motivational enhancement therapy versus treatment as usual in a sample of Spanish-speaking substance abusers. Participants were Cuban American (n = 34), Mexican American (n = 209), Puerto Rican (n = 78), and other Hispanic American (n = 54). Results suggested that Cuban Americans and individuals with more connection to Hispanic culture had lower treatment retention. Hispanics born in the U.S and those who spoke English at home …

Measuring & Monitoring Impact Of Community Engagement At Virginia Commonwealth University, Valerie Holton, Jennifer Jettner

Division of Community Engagement Resources

This report provides a summary of existing and developing enterprise data mechanisms that track and assess Virginia Commonwealth University’s engagement with our communities. The activities included here are limited to those efforts with which the DCE is actively involved.

The Division of Community Engagement (DCE) undertook this effort and published the original document in fall 2014. This 2015 report has been updated to reflect progress that has been made during the 14-15 academic year.

“I Am Not Free While [Anyone] Is Unfree”: A Proposal And Framework For Enmarginalized Feminist Policy Analysis, Avina Ross

Social Work Student Works

This paper introduces a new feminist approach and framework to policy analysis. As an integration of intersectionality, Black feminist thought and endarkened feminist epistemology, enmarginalized feminist policy analysis (EFPA) offers an intersectional and flexible scope in a framework to assess policy for a diversity of populations, focusing on groups who are forced to live marginal and oppressed lives. Discussion is provided on existing approaches and frameworks in addition to an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of EFPA. A nine-component framework, which includes a section for analyst reflexivity, is provided to guide users in conducting EFPA. The author concludes with implications …

Virginia Commonwealth University Professional Bulletin [2015], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Professional programs bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2015-2016. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for graduate programs.

“Rip It!”: A Juxtapositional And Critical Discourse Analysis Of Gender Violence In 3 Tyler Perry Films, Avina Ross

Graduate Research Posters

This qualitative study uses juxtapositional, intersectional and critical discourse analyses as one composite framework to assess Black female victimness and matriarchy in three Tyler Perry films. Findings exposed a transitional archetype model consisting of 5 domains (Victim, Bitterfruit, Matriarch, Forgiver and Princess) whereby victimized characters are portrayed using racist and sexist stereotypes. Additionally, rich juxtapositions in the films with regard to Black female victimness and matriarchy were also revealed. These juxtapositions play out in the transitional archetype model and reiterate a harmful racist gendered stereotype: strong, Black women (matriarchs) are not and cannot, by way of their strength, aggressiveness and …

Race & Non-Racial Characteristics In Sentencing Length And Sentencing Type Disparity, Davis A. Estes

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing data from the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities (SISCF) 2004, this research investigates the possibility that African American drug offenders receive lengthier prison sentences and are imposed more range of time or indeterminate sentences as opposed to flat sentences based on race and/or non-racial characteristics; specifically parole status prior to sentencing, plea agreement status, prior criminal history, education status prior to arrest, employment status prior to arrest, and parental incarceration. While regression analysis revealed racial sentencing disparity for length of sentence and type of sentence (p< .05 and p< .001 respectively), among non-racial characteristics, only education status prior to arrest proved a significant predictor for length of sentence (p≤ .001). African American drug offenders were more likely sentenced to indeterminate sentences as opposed to flat sentences and were less likely to receive short sentences of 0 to 4 years or medium sentences of 4 to 10 years as compared to long sentences of 10 or more years. Potential research implications include the necessity for additional research regarding racial sentencing disparity as length or type of sentences as opposed to disparity as a numerical or a percentage difference between racial groups as well as the utilizing of inmate data that encompasses recent changes in drug sentencing laws, e.g. crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. Future research might also consider the evolution of marijuana laws in the United States and the potential impact on racial sentencing disparity.

Efficiency Of Unified Vs. Non-Unified State Judiciaries: An Examination Of Court Organizational Performance, William Raftery

Theses and Dissertations

State court systems function in much the same manner as any other government agency in terms of organization and management to utilize public resources in order to provide a public service. The question posed in the late 19th century was whether the courts should be organized and managed as they had been for centuries as local entities locally controlled and operated or transferred to the state level. The desired end was a more efficient use of public resources to achieve faster disposition of cases. This reorganization, called unification, was made up of three individual components: 1) consolidation required the reduction …

Sex Offender Management Policies And Their Unintended Cosequences: A National Survey Of The Perceptions Of Professionals, Corey Call

Theses and Dissertations

The mid-1990s brought sex offenders to the forefront of policy issues due to several highly publicized cases of abduction, sexual assault, and murder involving children. Following these cases, a number of sex offender management policies were passed to quell public concern over the safety of children due to sex offenders. Most notably, these new sex offender management policies mandated the creation of publicly available registries of sex offenders and enacted residence restrictions that forbid sex offenders from residing within certain distances from areas where children commonly congregate.

Although current sex offender management policies have been revealed to be largely ineffective …

Measuring Mental Health Provider Stigma: The Development Of A Valid And Reliable Self-Assessment Instrument, Jennifer L.K. Charles

Theses and Dissertations

Provider-based stigma is defined as the negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of mental health providers toward clients they serve. Often unintentional and unknowingly conveyed, this phenomenon has been indicated in previous research (e.g. Lauber, Nordt, Braunschweig, & Rössler, 2006; Nordt, Rössler, & Lauber, 2006; Hugo, 2001; Schulze, 2007). Other instruments crafted to measure provider stigma have utilized theory in their development, without incorporating the voice of the client (e.g. Wilkins & Abell, 2010; Kennedy, Abell, & Mennicke 2014). To better address the social injustice posed by provider stigma, the profession requires a valid and reliable measure, guided by theory, which …

Gender And Representative Bureaucracy: The Career Progression Of Women Managers In Male-Dominated Occupations In State Government, Velma J. Ballard

Theses and Dissertations

The tenets of representative bureaucracy suggest that the composition of the bureaucracy should mirror the people it serves including women in order to influence the name, scope, and implementation of public policies. Women are still underrepresented in mid-to-upper management in male-dominated occupations. When women are under-represented in mid-to-upper levels of management in government, there are implications regarding representative bureaucracy.

This study examined the career progression experiences of women who were successful in reaching mid-to-upper levels of management in male-dominated occupations in state government. Specifically, the study explored how women perceive various occupational factors including their rates of participation, experiences, gender, …

One Script, Two Perspectives: Generation Me And The Staging Of Really Really, Kirstin R. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations

Really, Really, by Paul Downs Colaizzo, is loosely based on the 2006 Duke University sexual assault scandal resulting from what proved to be a false accusation of rape made against three members of the men’s lacrosse team. After individually reading the play, Jorge Burmudez and I both arrived at differing opinions of who was the true victim, in turn inspiring this thesis, which is an exploration of two separate productions of the play demonstrating contrasting perspectives/outlooks regarding sex crimes within sports organizations in the university setting. It will describe our process from conceptualization to a post-mortem talking about particular …

Therapist Adherence To Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Anxious Youth Across A Case, Julia R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The field has developed many evidence-based treatments (EBTs); the integrity of EBTs being delivered, however, has been studied less than rigorously. Because many treatment manuals are developed to be delivered session-by-session, one way to assess treatment adherence, specifically, is across the course of the case: do therapists deliver treatment components in the order prescribed? The goals of this study were to characterize how therapists deviate from prescribed order and how adherence to order relates to child characteristics. Therapy process data were collected from a subsample of children (N = 33, aged 7-15) that received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to address …

Virginia Commonwealth University Courses [2015], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Building Community-Engagement Infrastructure At Warp Speed: Leveraging Enterprise Data And Partnerships, Valerie Holton, Kathleen Shaw

Division of Community Engagement Resources

This was presented at the pre-conference workshop on November 16, 2015 at the annual meeting of IARSLCE in Boston, Massachusetts.