Health and/or Mental Health
A – J
Elizabeth Allen
Email: eallensocialphd@gmail.com
Website: http://www.drelizabethallen.org/
I bring more than 25 years of clinical experience with justice-involved women and other marginalized groups. I am tenaciously committed to smart decarceration research, policy, and practice and throughout my career aimed to embrace what academia together with activism can offer change-agents and guide and support radical social change.
My dissertation research was an inquiry into redemptive narratives and the distance process for justIce-involved women with the goal of adding to the knowledge base of desistance, advocating for policies and interventions that support the process of distance and promoting a unifying framework to bridge micro and macro approaches with vulnerable and marginalized populations. Currently, I am a PI on a CBPR project using Photovoice with the urban youth with the lived experience of parental incarceration.
The synthesis of my clinical and research experience prepares me for the dual role of researcher and policy-maker and utilizing evidence to advance policy and practice. My research interests are vast and include the intersection of micro and macro issues amplified within criminal justice systems including racial, gender and economic justice and human rights.
D. Michael Applegarth, UCLA
PHD STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
Email: applegarth@ucla.edu
My primary area of interest within the correctional system involves the reentry process and the various challenges that accompany this process. Some of the specific factors I am interested in examining include how young adults with mental illness and substance use challenges navigate reintegrating into society. I am also interested in how individuals’ social networks, inmate’s programing and treatment during incarceration, and system-level factors may mitigate successful outcomes for individuals during the reentry process. Furthermore, I am interested in how correctional environments and conditions create barriers for individuals to engage in desistance from criminal behavior.
Stacey Barrenger, NYU
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Email: stacey.barrenger@nyu.edu
Website: http://socialwork.nyu.edu/our-faculty/full-time/stacey-barrenger.html
Stacey L. Barrenger, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University. Dr. Barrenger’s work focuses on the intersection of mental illness and other social problems (criminal justice involvement, substance use, homelessness, & poverty). She has examined the production of risk for recidivism among men with mental illnesses leaving prison. She is interested in implementation research that considers the community or structural factors that can impact the effectiveness of empirically supported treatments in high-risk environments. Her current research explores pathways to recovery and desistance from crime for peer specialists with criminal justice histories and the prison health care experiences of those with mental illnesses who were formerly incarcerated.
Kate Barrow
CONSULTANT AND TRAINER
Email: info@katebarrow.com
Website: https://www.katebarrow.com and www.trainingforjustice.com
Kate Barrow, LCSW, specializes in trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approaches to social services, management, and systems change work. She has expertise in criminal justice, mental health, trauma, racial justice, and youth development. She currently works as a nonprofit management trainer, organizational consultant, clinical supervisor, and management coach, with an emphasis on criminal justice settings.
A nonprofit manager for 15 years, Kate spent nearly a decade working in the criminal justice system. From 2015-2018 she directed a professional development institute for an interdisciplinary criminal justice agency in New York City. In this role she led the professional development initiatives for a staff of over 500, and directed 150 hours of trainings annually. Previously, she directed clinical programs in court-based, social service, and foster care settings, with a focus on systems-involved youth. She has been an adjunct professor at New York University, and John Jay College through the Prisoner Reentry Institute. Kate was previously named an emerging social work leader by the National Association of Social Workers New York City Chapter for her work incorporating social justice values into clinical work.
Kate completed her BA at Naropa University in Contemplative Psychology, her MSW at the Silver School of Social Work at NYU, and an advanced certificate in clinical supervision through Smith College. She is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York.
Kimberly A. Bender, Denver University
PROFESSOR, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR DOCTORAL EDUCATION, DENVER UNIVERSITY
Email: kimberly.bender@du.edu
Website: https://socialwork.du.edu/about/gssw-directory/kimberly-ann-bender
Professor Kimberly Bender serves as Associate Dean for Doctoral Education. Her recent research includes a study of gender-specific pathways from childhood maltreatment to juvenile delinquency among youth in the child welfare system. Bender’s research aims to improve services and develop empirically based interventions for adolescents at risk of problem behavior. She recently contributed to an intervention research project on methods for engaging runaway youth in substance-use treatment funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse.
Janae Bonsu, UIC
DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
Email: jbonsu2@uic.edu
Bio: I am a doctoral candidate at Jane Addams College of Social Work, activist, and restorative justice practitioner. My work is based in an intersectional and structural analysis. My current work interrogates the intersection of gender-based violence, policing, and survivor empowerment; building and sustaining models of transformative justice; and policies that directly impact incarcerated people and their families.
Brita Bookser, UC Berkeley
DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
Email: britabookser@berkeley.edu
Website: https://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/people/phd-students
Brita A. Bookser’s research interests include early care and education, education policy, carceral logics in education, feminist anti-carceral studies, womanism, and critical race theory. Her research-praxis agenda is facilitated by varied agency partnerships that explore policies and pedagogies for inclusion and civic engagement. Bookser’s qualitatively-driven mixed-method dissertation explores a typology of exclusionary discipline measures in preschools and examines how structural factors influence exclusionary tactics in early care and education settings.
Charlotte Lyn Bright, University of Maryland
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Education, University of Maryland
Email: cbright@ssw.umaryland.edu
My research focuses on populations and services within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, with specific interests in gender, trauma, and implementation of best practices.
Rob Butters, University of Utah
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Email: rob.butters@socwk.utah.edu
Website: https://faculty.utah.edu/u0050005-ROB_BUTTERS/teaching/index.hml
Kelli Canada, University of Missouri
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Email: canadake@missouri.edu
Website: http://ssw.missouri.edu/faculty_canada.htm
Kelli received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Depauw University, a Master’s of Science in Social Work at Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Kelli worked in Chicago as a clinical social worker in psychiatric rehabilitation and with older adults living in the community. Kelli is a mental health services researcher who investigates mental health service delivery and consumer experiences with treatment within the criminal justice system. Some of her most recent projects explored the experiences of consumers in mental health courts and veterans within the criminal justice system.
Rachel Casey, University of Southern Maine
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE
Email: rachel.casey@maine.edu
Website: https://usm.maine.edu/swo/rachel-casey-phd-msw
Rachel earned her MSW and PhD from the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. Rachel conducts research across methodologies to illuminate the unique experiences of incarcerated women, aiming to improve the responsiveness of mental health programs in correctional settings. Rachel is also passionate about teaching and has taught courses in research methods, human behavior in the social environment, and social justice. Regardless of subject matter, Rachel strives to engage students in dynamic learning experiences which help them develop a critical perspective and acquire essential knowledge and skills for competent, reflexive social work practice.
Pajarita Charles, University of Wisconsin - Madison
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON
Email: paja.charles@wisc.edu
Pajarita Charles is an Assistant Professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Center for Law, Society, and Justice, and the Justice Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research centers on the development, implementation, and testing of family-focused preventive interventions to promote positive outcomes for children and families affected by the criminal justice system. Dr. Charles’ efforts foster research, practice, and public sector partnerships to build capacity for reform and the reduction of the footprint of the criminal justice system. She is a co-leader of the national Promote Smart Decarceration grand challenge network for the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and frequently collaborates with local and state organizations to provide expertise and guidance on issues pertinent to families impacted by the criminal justice system.
Phillipe Copeland, Boston University
CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Email: copelanp@bu.edu
My interest is in the policing and punishment systems as mechanisms of racial capitalism and educating people to not only effectively abolish them, but help survivors to recover from their consequences.
Dominique Courts, UCONN
GRADUATE STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
Email: Dominique.Courts@uconn.edu
Website: https://ssw.uconn.edu/person/c-l-dominique-courts-ma-mft/#
After graduating from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Psychology with a concentration in Social and Cultural Analysis, Dominique Courts, MA, MFT, earned a clinical master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy at UCONN. Following her work as a therapist, Dominique is now a Crandall-Cordero fellow at The UCONN School of Social Work and invested in affecting change on an institutional and systems level.
As a doctoral student, she is particularly interested in using a reproductive and healing justice framework to understand the healing process for people, who live with intersecting marginalized identities, especially lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer individuals of color. The lack of visibility and research around LGBTQ people of color led her to be passionate about conducting mixed-methods and participatory action research to explore various aspects of their lived experiences. Ultimately, Dominique desires to amplify the voices of marginalized populations in her research and use collaborative and empowering research methods and accessible dissemination techniques.
Throughout the CT community, Dominique also facilitates workshops and groups focused on relationships, LGBTQ identities and other topics related to social justice and healing. She centers the lived experiences and needs of the individuals at the intersections of race, sexuality, gender and ability in her research, teaching, clinical and community work and advocacy.
Dana Dehart, University of South Carolina
ASSISTANT DEAN FOR RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Email: dana.dehart@sc.edu
Website: http://cosw.sc.edu/faculty/dana-dehart
Dr. DeHart’s specialty area is violence and victimization. She has been Principal Investigator on many grants and contracts addressing issues such as victimization and survivor services, impact of incarceration on families, gendered pathways to adult and juvenile offending, mental health and substance abuse, and predatory sexual behavior. Dr. DeHart has expertise in a range of qualitative and quantitative methods and has conducted hundreds of interviews with adult and juvenile offenders, crime victims, justice professionals, and human-service providers. Dr. DeHart is experienced in needs assessment, program evaluation, scale design, and ethical research design.
Patricia Drown, Allied American University
Varsha DuBose, LCSW, Southern Connecticut State University
DOCTORAL STUDENT AND TEACHING ASSISTANT, SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
Email: Dubosev1@southernct.edu
Bio: Varsha Dubose is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years of practice experience in legal and mental health settings. Varsha is currently a doctoral student and teaching assistant at Southern Connecticut State University. Varsha has practical experience working with justice-involved veterans with significant mental health and substance use disorders. One of the theoretical approaches that Varsha is focusing her research on is critical race theory. Varsha is interested in addressing the intersections of racial oppression and social injustices that are prevalent in the United States judicial system. Varsha’s teaching interest are in areas related to veterans, race/oppression, mental health and substance use disorders within the criminal justice system.
Jeff Edwards, University of South Carolina Upstate
INSTRUCTOR OF CHILD ADVOCACY STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA UPSTATE
Website: https://sam.research.sc.edu/uscera/facultyExpertise/cv/35304#bio
Beulah Emmanuel, Academy of Prisons and Correctional Administration, India
PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK, COURSE CO-ORDINATOR, ACADEMY OF PRISONS & CORRECTIONAL ADMINISRATION, INDIA
Email: beulahyesus@gmail.com
Website: www.apca.tn.nic.in
My area of interest is in teaching and research on the mental health of prison inmates. I train the Prison Officers on the various issues like human rights and issues on Women Prisoners. I do prisoners development programmes. I train the Prison Officers on soft skills too. My passion is research in Prisons. I am a certified trainer of Penal Rfeorms International and I co-ordinate the training with many national and international organisations and I was a Member of the Prison Advisory Board.
Matt Epperson, University of Chicago
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION
Email: mepperson@uchicago.edu
Website: https://ssa.uchicago.edu/ssascholars/m-epperson and www.smartdecarceration.org
Matt Epperson, PhD, MSW is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, where he also serves as Director of the Smart Decarceration Project ( www.smartdecarceration.org ). His research centers on developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions to reduce disparities in the criminal justice system. His primary areas of focus include addressing risk factors for criminal justice involvement among persons with mental illnesses, as well as advancing evidence-based approaches to effective and sustainable decarceration. Dr. Epperson’s scholarship and teaching aim to build the capacity of the social work profession to address these challenges and opportunities for criminal justice transformation. He is Co-Leader of the Promote Smart Decarceration network, through the Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative. Dr. Epperson received his Ph.D. with distinction from the Columbia University School of Social Work, a M.S.W. from Grand Valley State University, and a B.S. in Sociology/Criminal Justice from Central Michigan University. He has over 15 years of clinical and administrative social work experience in behavioral health and criminal justice settings.
Jennifer Erwin, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY EDWARDSVILLE
Email: jeerwin@siue.edu
Website: https://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/social-work/faculty-staff/erwin.shtml
My research focus has primarily explored adult mental health courts. Additional research interests include examining the experiences of adults with mental illness who are involved with the criminal justice system and the role of peer support in treatment courts.
Liz Espinoza, College of Saint Rose
VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE
Email: espinozl@strose.edu
Liz Espinoza has forensic social work experience at state government level in NY.
Gina Fedock, University of Chicago
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION
Email: gfedock@uchicago.edu
Website: https://ssa.uchicago.edu/ssascholars/g-fedock
Gina Fedock is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Service Administration. Her work focuses on improving women’s mental health and spans the boundaries of public health, criminal justice, law, and social work. Her research includes implementing, testing, and evaluating interventions that are designed to improve the quality of women’s health in the community and within correctional settings. In addition, her work expands a trauma-informed framework of understanding and addressing women’s health needs. She integrates women’s experiences of gender-based violence, such as sexual violence and intimate partner violence, into her research. Through a human rights framework, her work incorporates advocacy for addressing social injustices in order to improve women’s health and wellbeing.
Currently, she is working on several studies, including examining women’s experiences of staff sexual misconduct in prisons and on parole and investigating racial and gender disparities in suicide attempts by prisoners. Through a faculty grant from the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, she is investigating how human rights standards influence women’s imprisonment.
Her research is in journals such as: Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; Cognitive and Behavioral Practice; Research on Social Work Practice; Journal of Interpersonal Violence; and the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
John Gallagher, Indiana University South Bend
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, INDIANA UNIVERSITY SOUTH BEND
Email: johngall@iupui.edu
Website: https://socialwork.iusb.edu/FacultyAndStaff/profile.php?id=Gallagher_John_johngall
Dr. John R. Gallagher is an Associate Professor in the Indiana University School of Social Work at IU South Bend, where he teaches classes in addiction and mental health counseling. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) who has practiced addiction and mental health counseling for nearly 20 years. Gallagher’s research agenda is focused on the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in treating opioid use disorders; exploring drug court and other treatment court participants’ lived experiences in programming; identifying the factors that may contribute to racial disparities in treatment court outcomes; program evaluation for drug courts and other treatment courts; and implementing evidence-based interventions to promote addiction and mental health recovery.
John M. Gallagher, University of Arkansas, School of Social Work
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Email: jmgallag@uark.edu
Bio: My work focuses on behavioral and social interventions delivered within the criminal justice system. Current projects include (1) intervention and program fidelity in a mentor program for justice-involved veterans; (2) evaluation of Veterans Treatment Courts in Arkansas and Arizona, and (3) testing of a letter-writing group intervention for inmates with minor children. Topical and theoretical areas of interest include veterans, problem-solving courts, incarcerated parents, procedural justice, legal legitimacy, social identity, community bonds, peer-mentorship, and program evaluation.
Ashley Givens, University of Missouri
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
Email: givensa@missouri.edu
My research primarily focuses on early adults involved in the criminal justice system. Specifically, I explore traumatic experiences experienced by this group, as well as mental health needs of this population.
Ivan Godfrey, SUNY Ulster
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SUNY ULSTER
Email: Godfreyi@sunyulster.edu
Website: http://sunyulster.edu
I have participated in a recent research study about the value of post secondary education for incarcerated persons. My teaching interest and expertise is in Alternative to Incarceration & Reentry strategies and iniatives
Stephanie Grace Post, Kent School of Social Work
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, KENT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Email: stephanie.prost@louisville.edu
Website: https://louisville.edu/kent/about/faculty-1/bios/dr-stephanie-grace-prost
My primary research interests relate to health care service provision, caregiving, and quality of life for inmates over the age of 55, inmates with chronic and terminal conditions, and volunteer inmate caregivers.
Woojae Han, Soongsil University
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SOONGSIL UNIVERSITY
Email: whan@ssu.ac.kr
Woojae Han is an assistant professor of School of Social Work at Soongsil University in Korea. His research focuses on alternative court system, community rehabilitation for offenders with mental illness, and behavioral health disparities for populations at risk.
R. Anna Hayward, Stony Brook University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, STONYBROOK UNIVERSITY
Email: Anna.hayward@stonybrook.edu
Website: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/faculty-staff/hayward
Debra Hrouda, Northeast Ohio Medical University
DIRECTOR OF PRACTICE IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION, NORTHEAST OHIO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
Email: dhrouda@neomed.edu
Focus on the implementation of evidence-based, best, and emerging practices for people along the continuum of justice involvement.
Russ Immarigeon
EDITOR
Email: russimmarigeon@fairpoint.net
Editor of national publications on community corrections, alternatives to prison, and offender programming. Editor of 4 books on crime desistance, prisoner reentry, and women and girls in the criminal justice system. Independent researcher on the overuse of incarceration for women and others, and of cash bail in pretrial settings.
Timothy Ireland, Niagara University
PROVOST & VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, NIAGARA UNIVERSITY
Email: toi@niagara.edu
The primary area of my research focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of family violence (intimate partner violence and maltreatment), including the role of drugs and alcohol as both predictors of family violence as well as coping mechanisms for those exposed.
In addition, other health consequences of exposure to violence are under consideration including engaging in risky sex behaviors during adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Andre Ivanoff, Columbia University
PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Email: ami2@columbia.edu
Website: https://socialwork.columbia.edu/faculty-research/faculty/full-time/andre-ivanoff/
Dr. André Ivanoff has over 25 years of clinical and research experience in mental health, criminal justice and forensic settings. These include Seattle Emergency Housing Service, the Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic of the University of Washington Medical Center, the New York City Police Department and over two dozen adult and juvenile forensic/correctional settings in the United States and internationally. She presents widely at conferences, the most recent include Public Responsibility in Research & Medicine, the Association for Cognitive and Behavior Therapies, and the CMHS National GAINS Center conference.
Jalonta Jackson, Troy University
LECTURER, TROY UNIVERSITY
Email: jjackson147130@troy.edu
Developing the first Social Work and Criminal Justice course at Troy University.
Leah Jacobs, University of Pittsburgh
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Email: leahjacobs@pitt.edu
Website: https://www.socialwork.pitt.edu/people/leah-jacobs
My research interests include: socio-structural risk factors for criminal justice involvement; the role of neighborhood qualities in contributing to arrests among people with mental health and substance use problems; the provision of mental health and substance abuse treatment in jails; and reentry programs that seek to decrease recidivism among individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems.
Jennifer Kellman Fritz, Eastern Michigan University
DIRECTOR AND PROFESSOR, EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Email: jkellman@emich.edu
Website: https://www.emich.edu/chhs/social-work/faculty/j_kellman-fritz.php
Jennifer Kenney, University of Alabama
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Email: jennifer.kenney@ua.edu
Website: https://cj.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/JKenneyCV_Sept15.pdf
I am primarily interested in the issues that affect adult women and their entry into the criminal justice system. The risk factors that I am currently focusing on include: trauma, substance abuse, mental health, employment, and class (SES) issues. I am also working on a project related to media consumption, fear of crime, and the attitudinal and behavioral consequences of that fear. I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. In the classroom, I teach classes in the areas of: social inequality, gender and crime, victimology, and drug use and policy.
Erin Kerrison, UC Berkeley
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
Email: kerrison@berkeley.edu
Website: http://socialwelfare.berkeley.edu/faculty/erin-kerrison
My research and teaching interests extend from a legal epidemiological framework, wherein law and legal institutions operate as social determinants of health. Specifically, through varied agency partnerships, my mixed-method research agenda investigates the impact that compounded structural disadvantage, concentrated poverty and state supervision has on service delivery, substance abuse, violence and other health outcomes for individuals and communities marked by criminal justice intervention.
Peter A. Kindle, University of South Dakota
PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Email: Peter.Kindle@usd.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/usd.edu/peter-a-kindle-p/
I taught inside a Texas prison for six years while completing my doctorate in social work, then spent over a year volunteering with the Second Chance Program of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission before locating my current faculty position in South Dakota. I am expecting to conduct a program evaluation for the Carver County jail’s new mental health program over the next two years.
Jean Kjellstrand, University of Oregon
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Email: jeank@uoregon.edu
Website: https://education.uoregon.edu/people/faculty/jeank
Dr. Jean Kjellstrand, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Human Services at the University of Oregon, focuses on parental incarceration. Specifically, she examines how parental incarceration impacts child development, and how to support children and their parents both during and after incarceration. Her goal is to create effective interventions that are affordable, acceptable, and sustainable within existing delivery systems. Before entering academics, Dr. Kjellstrand was a licensed social worker for over 15 years. During this period, she developed and coordinated several individual, group, and community interventions to support and empower children and families in high-risk circumstances.
Karen Kolivoski, Howard University
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, HOWARD UNIVERSITY
Email: karen.kolivoski@howard.edu
Website: https://www.karenkolivoski.com and https://twitter.com/KKolivoski
My research interests focus on crossover youth, specifically on understanding how factors in children and youths’ experiences within the child welfare system impact subsequent juvenile and criminal justice system involvement. I am especially interested in understanding the role of out of home placements within the child welfare system, youths’ relationships and perceptions of their child welfare caseworkers, and sibling and family influences as related to criminal justice outcomes. I also have interest and experience in transfer of youths to the adult system and juvenile life without parole, including the misconduct/experiences of youth in prisons. In regards to teaching, I teach in the criminal justice field of practice specialization in the MSW program at Howard University.
Liat Kriegel, Washington State University
RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INNOVATIONS
Email: liat.kriegel@gmail.com
Website: https://www.bhinnovations.org/
I am broadly interested in the intersection of the behavioral health and criminal justice systems. My research explores the roles of public space and public space interactions in the community reentry of individuals with mental illness leaving prison. I am interested in understanding both conceptions and use of public space as well as the different types of connections people make in those spaces, with an eye toward understanding social and spatial indicators of recidivism, community integration, social isolation, and ontological security. I am also involved in research focused on opioid use prevention, treatment and recovery in rural communities.
Lewis Lee, University of Alabama
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Email: lhlee@ua.edu
Website: https://socialwork.ua.edu/blog/social-theme-staff/lee-lewis-phd/
Dr. Lewis Hyukseung Lee has experience working with incarcerated adults and with youth who have come in contact with the criminal justice system. Prior to joining Pitt’s doctoral program, he worked as the Assistant Director for the Korean Community Center in Englewood, New Jersey, where he provided community services for immigrant minorities. His research interests include social policy in the criminal justice system, criminal desistance, mental health disparities and service use, substance use, community-based participatory research, macro practice.
George Leibowitz, Stony Brook University
PROFESSOR, STONY BROOK, UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Email: George.Leibowitz@stonybrookmedicine.edu
Website: https://socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/faculty-staff/leibowitz
For the past 20 years, I have been working as an interdisciplinary researcher, forensic evaluator, national consultant and trainer in the related fields of adolescent delinquency, addictions, sexually harmful behavior among youth, and adult sexually offending behavior. I am interested in research on sex offender registry reform, restorative justice, and compassionate release laws. I am also a member of the National Association of Forensic Social Work recently co-authored the following textbook: Maschi, T. & Leibowitz, G.S. (Eds.) (2018). Forensic social work: Psychosocial and legal issues across diverse populations and settings (2nd Ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Caroline Long, University of Maryland
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Email: cburry@ssw.umaryland.edu
I have a child welfare background and an ongoing interest in parental incarceration, particularly maternal incarcerated, and the children of incarcerated parents. Additionally, I have a focus on smart decarceration and alternative sentencing.
Kelli J. Marks, Madonna University
BSW PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MADONNA UNIVERSITY
Email: kmarks@madonna.edu
Dr. Kelli Marks is the BSW Program Director in Social Work. Kelli joined the full time faculty of Madonna University in 2016 and has a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan (2000) with an emphasis in interpersonal practice and children and youth and received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Oakland University in 2015. Her research focused on the importance of student engagement of academic outcomes, concentrating on minority male achievement.
Kelli worked previously in juvenile justice before entering adult corrections and was employed as a corrections officer with female inmates for several years; she also has 15 years of experience working with adult felons in Oakland County.
Jason Matejkowski, University of Kansas
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Email: jmate@ku.edu
Website: http://socwel.ku.edu/people/faculty/matejkowski-jason
Research interests include policies and services involving adults with mental illness who are involved with the criminal justice system or who are homeless.
Carl Mazza, Lehman College CUNY
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR, SOCIAL WORK DEPARTMENT LEHMAN COLLEGE (CUNY)
Email: carl.maaza@lehman.cuny.edu
Website: https://www.lehman.edu/academics/health-human-services-nursing/social-work/faculty-mazza.php
Dr. Mazza has written on incarcerated fathers, children of incarcerated parents, prison education, practicing social work in prison, and various issues regarding reentry. He has recently completed a book on fatherhood in the U.S. and has a chapter on incarcerated fathers. He is the former track chair of the Criminal & Juvenile Justice Track for the Council on Social Work Education. He is currently researching and writing a book on social work with exonerated people.
Susan McCarter, UNC Charlotte
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHARLOTTE
Email: smccarter@uncc.edu
Website: https://pages.uncc.edu/smccar17/
Dr. McCarter’s career began as a juvenile probation officer, inner-city mental health counselor, and policy analyst and advocate in Virginia. For over 20 years she has served as a Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Scholar (now Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED)) and a forensic practitioner. Nationally, Dr. McCarter serves as an expert juvenile justice forensic witness, on the board of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, and chairs the Society of Social Work and Research’s Criminal and Juvenile Justice Interest Group. Regionally, she co-chairs the NC RED Subcommittee and the Charlotte Racial Justice Consortium (funded by the AAC&U and dedicated to truth, racial healing and transformation), and serves on the leadership team for Race Matters for Juvenile Justice as well as their Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) Team. Dr. McCarter currently facilitates the UNC Charlotte Racial Equity Skill Building Caucus and leads multiple funded research studies examining the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP), Juvenile Diversion, and Racial Equity.
Henrika McCoy, UIC
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
Email: hmccoy@uic.edu
Website: https://socialwork.uic.edu/profiles/henrika-mccoy/
My research primarily focuses on the intersection of juvenile delinquency and mental health particularly for African American males. I have been previously funded by the Fahs Beck Fund for Research and Experimentation to explore the how to strengthen mental health screening for juvenile offenders and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Program to address the negative trajectories of juvenile delinquency and promote the mental health of juvenile offenders. I am currently the principal investigator of the National Institute of Justice funded study, Understanding the Violent Victimization Experiences of Young Men of Color. The cooperative agreement is a 3-year, national study funded in the amount of $1.5 million. The project will fill the gap in our knowledge base about the violent victimization experiences of young Black males ages 18 to 24 by: 1) creating and pilot testing an instrument that measures such experiences, 2) identifying their awareness and use of services, and 3) learning about the coping skills and types of supports they use.
Louisiana Medina, USC
LCSW, USC
Email: louisiana.medina@gmail.com
Oluwayomi Paseda, MSW, LMSW, University of Georgia
DOCTORAL STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Email: oluwayomi@uga.edu
My research interests include reentry programs, interventions, and services for women transitioning from incarceration to the community.
Ashley Pennell, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
LMSW, ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE
Email: awalke68@vols.utk.edu
Ashley Pennell is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Knoxville, TN. She is an adjunct instructor at the University of Tennessee teaching bachelors and masters level forensic social work courses. Her work experience is primarily in social work in public defense settings, jail based therapy, victim advocacy, and re-entry services. She is particularly interested in the intersection of trauma, poverty, and incarceration.
Gregory Perkins, Walden University
CONTRIBUTING FACULTY, WALDEN UNIVERSITY
Website: https://www.waldenu.edu/about/faculty/meet-our-faculty/member-profile/gregory-perkins3
Carrie Pettus-Davis, Florida State University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
Email: cpettusdavis@fsu.edu
Website: https://csw.fsu.edu/person/carrie-pettus-davis
Research and Professional Specializations: applied community-based intervention research with current and former prisoners, services evaluation using corrective statistical modeling, social support and social networks for current and former prisoners, substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and co-occurrence in prisoner populations, transitions from prison to community-based living for former prisoners and their families, trauma and victimization in current and former prisoners, and University – Criminal Justice Practitioner partnerships.
Melinda Pilkinton, Mississippi State University
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DIRECTOR OF FIELD INSTRUCTION IN SOCIAL WORK, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Email: pilkinton@soc.msstate.edu
Melinda W. Pilkinton is an Assistant Professor and Director of Field Instruction in Social Work. She earned a B.A. degree in social work from Mississippi State University in 1975, a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1976, and a Ph.D. in social work from Jackson State University in 2007. She has taught a variety of social work courses at MSU since 1999. Additionally, she has worked as a Clinical Social Worker in the fields of mental health, substance abuse, supervision & administration, nursing home consultation, and school social work for over 30 years. She is a gubernatorial appointee to the Mississippi Board of Examiner for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists and is active in the Association of Social Work Boards. Her research interests include military families, mental health and substance abuse issues, and social welfare policy.
Sheryl Pimlott Kubiak, Wayne State University
DEAN AT WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND JUSTICE
Email: spk@wayne.edu
Website: https://socialwork.wayne.edu/profile/ao1692
Sheryl Kubiak is the founding Director of Wane State University’s Center for Behavioral Health and Justice (CBHJ). Her research interests are at the intersections of criminal legal system and behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorders); encompassing both individual as well as systems issues. The CBHJ employs 35 full time individuals involved in a number of various projects at over 20 jails and prisons across Michigan. Dr. Kubiak’s personal research has examined the implications of cumulative stress, PTSD and depression among women in various phases of the criminal justice system; assessed the implications of welfare reform and the child welfare system on those with convictions; analyzed the effects of PTSD on relapse and recidivism among incarcerated men and women; tested the validity and practicality of a brief mental health screening measure for use in a large metropolitan jail; assessed the effects of criminal justice funding of community-based substance abuse treatment nationally; tested interventions in prison settings and lead a statewide evaluation of mental health courts.
Hughlett Powell, United Arab Emirates University
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY
Email: brownhillnevis@gmail.com
Jacoba Rock, Juniata College
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, JUNIATA COLLEGE
Email: rock@juniata.edu
Website: https://www.juniata.edu/academics/departments/sociology/faculty.php
Jacoba Rock is an Assistant Professor of Social Work and Criminal Justice and the B.S.W. Program Director at Juniata College. She received her Master of Social Work degree, with a clinical concentration in work with High-Risk Youth in 2010, and a graduate certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution in 2008, both from the University of Denver. She received her doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies, with a doctoral minor in Criminology, from Pennsylvania State University in 2021. Dr. Rock’s research focuses on the developmental consequences of childhood trauma, including biological, cognitive, and social contributions, for individuals involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and related intervention opportunities for incarcerated juveniles and young adults. She leads an assessment and intervention study at a Department of Corrections facility which houses young adult offenders, testing the use of a staff empathy training and implementation of a mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral intervention. Prior research has focused on restorative practices in juvenile correctional facilities, and systemic disparities in response to parole violations. Dr. Rock maintains social work licensure in both Colorado and Pennsylvania, where she continues to assess a small number of clients serving life without parole sentences for crimes convicted as juveniles, and provide court testimony in these cases; this work began in 2012, following the Miller v. Alabama Supreme Court ruling which held that mandatory sentences of life without the possibility of parole are unconstitutional for juveniles. Her work has focused on collaborating with attorneys and other criminal justice advocates to encourage the use of social science research which supports resentencing efforts and service access for incarcerated young people. Before 2012, Dr. Rock worked for several years in the child welfare system, as an assessment specialist and caseworker. Between her undergraduate and graduate training, she was also the program coordinator for a restorative justice program based at a police department. She went on to facilitate psychoeducational groups for young adult offenders, primarily those with substance use and anger management related needs. Dr. Rock’s courses include program evaluation, clinical practice courses, cognitive behavioral therapy, group treatment, restorative approaches, child and adolescent trauma, adolescent development, social welfare policy, and juvenile delinquency and youth violence. Dr. Rock serves on the HEAL-PA Trauma Consultation team, Pennsylvania Re-Entry Council, and the Pennsylvania Office of Advocacy and Reform 21st Century Solutions think tank. She also serves Juniata College through participation on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council, Bias Response Team, General Education Committee, Health Professions Committee, and Baker Institute board.
Christine M. Sarteschi, Chatham University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CHATHAM UNIVERSITY
Email: csarteschi@chatham.edu
Website: https://www.chatham.edu/academics/undergraduate/criminology/faculty/christine-sarteschi.html
Dr. Christine M. Sarteschi, LCSW is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Criminology. She researches and teaches courses in behavioral science that cover a wide range of topics including: human behavior, juvenile justice, mental illness and crime, cold case research, problem solving courts, mass murder, and extreme violent crime. Dr. Sarteschi’s most recent works include Mass and Serial Murder in America and a 2020 monograph about extremists entitled: Sovereign Citizens: A Psychological and Criminological Analysis. Her research has appeared in The British Journal of Social Work, Research on Social Work Practice, Aggression and Violent Behavior, the Journal of Criminal Justice, among others.
Margaret Severson, University of Kansas
PROFESSOR EMIRITA, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Email: mseverson@ku.edu
Website: http://socwel.ku.edu/people/faculty/severson-margaret
Amy Smoyer, Southern Connecticut State University
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
Email: smoyera1@southernct.edu
Website: www.amysmoyer.com
My program of research examines the structural determinants of health and health disparities. Specifically, I seek to build knowledge about the lived experience of incarceration, parole, and probation in order to better understand the impact of correctional systems on individual and community health. I am particularly interested in women’s experiences with these systems. In terms of outcomes, my work has focused primarily on HIV care and prevention and food-related wellness.
David W. Springer, University of Texas at Austin
DIRECTOR AND UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED TEACHING PROFESSOR, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
Email: dwspringer@austin.utexas.edu
Website: https://rgkcenter.org/team/david-w-springer-phd
Dr. Springer is the Director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT Austin. He works with community and nonprofit leaders toward sustainable solutions on a wide range of issues, particularly at the intersection of criminal and juvenile justice, community resilience, and neighborhood revitalization. His work spans direct practice, policy practice, community building, nonprofit management, system reform, research, and leadership.
Kim Stauss, University of Arkansas
PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Email: kstauss@uark.edu
I have collaborated on the development of letter-writing program to help incarcerated parents reconnect with their children. We have completed research on this program and tried to disseminate this program in both community and departmental correctional facilities.
Carolyn Sutherby, Michigan State University
DOCTORAL CANDIDATE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Email: sutherb2@msu.edu
Carolyn has been a social work adjunct professor since 2008, teaching a variety of BSW and MSW courses at four universities. She is also certified to teach the Inside Out Prison Exchange Program. Carolyn is completing her Ph.D. in Social Work at Michigan State University, and her research interests involve maternal mental health and substance use disorders, alternatives to incarceration, and the intersection of behavioral health and criminal justice.
Hiroki Toi, Toyo University
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TOYO UNIVERSITY
Email: hirokitoi.sw@gmail.com
Website: http://ris.toyo.ac.jp/profile/en.49ce7e9f9582deae7ed49a595b30efe8.html
Hiroki Toi is an Assistant Professor at Toyo University in Japan where he teaches criminal justice and social work for undergraduate students. Hiroki’s research primarily focuses on better understanding the professional values and conflict among forensic social workers. Hiroki worked as a research assistant for the Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and has practiced in forensic psychiatric hospital, prison hospital, and also served as a social work advisor at the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
Christine Toner, Fordham University
ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
Email: ctoner@fordham.edu
Website: https://www.fordham.edu/info/25437/gss_adjunct_faculty_profiles/10352/christine_toner
Mel Wilson, NASW
SENIOR POLICY CONSULTANT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS
Email: mwilson.NASW@socialworkers.org
My interest and experience with criminal justice and social work includes being active in criminal justice policy and legislative actions via my affiliation with – NASW, the Justice Roundtable , the Justice Reform Taskforce, and the Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Work Group. I have also written several NASW Social Justice Briefs on topics including bail reform, racial profiling, drug policy, and juvenile justice issues.
Lilane Windsor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
DIRECTOR FOR FACULTY RESEARCH, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Email: lwindsor@illinois.edu
Website: www.newarkccb.org
Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., MSW is the Director of Faculty Research and Associate Professor at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Social Work. Her research focuses on the application of critical consciousness theory to the development of multi-level interventions designed to reduce health inequalities related to substance use disorders, including HIV infection and incarceration in marginalized communities. Dr. Windsor follows community based participatory research (CBPR) principles and utilizes a variety of scientific methodologies including ethnography, randomized experimental controlled trials, measurement development, meta-analysis, and online survey. Dr. Windsor is the founder and chair of the Newark Community Collaborative Board, a group of researchers, service providers, and consumers developed Community Wise, a multilevel intervention designed to reduce substance use frequency, criminal offending, and health risk behaviors. Dr. Windsor has overseen numerous research studies in the United States and in Brazil. Currently, she is principal investigator of the Community Wise Optimization study (R01 funded by NIMHD) and its administrative supplements. Dr. Windsor is also a co-investigator in the Social Action in Rural Communities Study, an Avant Guarde research award from NIDA to Dr. Dolores Albarracin. Finally, Dr. Windsor is a RWJ Health Policy fellow at the National Academy of Medicine. Her teaching interests include research methods, social justice, and substance use disorders. Born and raised in Brazil, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from FCH-FUMEC, Brazil in 1998. She moved to Texas in 2000 to pursue her Master of Science and doctoral degrees in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin.