Inside: Preparing a national toolkit for police use of body-worn cameras Professors, students go behind bars to improve inmate outcomes Safe zone: creating a culture of prevention Collaborative study helps guide Phoenix Police approach to deadly use of force
criminology & criminal justice school of
Fall 2015 Issue
college of public service and community solutions
ASU’s program in criminology and criminal justice is rooted in the study of the causes of crime and systemic responses to it. Although public policy and administration is a part of what we teach, the core of our program focuses on the theories of criminality and evidence-based best practices for responding to crime through the lenses of the three inter-related structures (policing, courts and corrections) that collectively comprise the criminal justice system.
inside July 2016 Published By Arizona State University College of Public Service and Community Solutions School of Criminology and Criminal Justice 411 North Central Avenue Suite 600 Phoenix, AZ 85004 ccj.asu.edu Director, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Cassia Spohn, Ph.D.
Contributors Paul Atkinson Heather Beshears Mary Beth Faller Emma Greguska Christopher Hernandez Firoz Jameel Andres Guerra Luz Eric Swedlund Marshall Terrill Photography Paul Atkinson Charlie Leight Bryan Mok Dan Vermillion
Director’s welcome 2 Research with impact Preparing a national toolkit for police use of body-worn cameras Professors, students go behind bars to improve inmate outcomes Safe Zone Collaborative study helps guide Phoenix Police approach to deadly use of force Why do some parolees fail after release from prison? Husband and wife professors come to the middle on crime
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Student success Criminology students get a ‘Clue’ Online master’s degree ranked no. 2 by US News & World Report Making a difference through undergraduate research 4 + 1 degree saves time, money ASU, Arizona Western College unite to address workforce needs of Southwest Arizona Eliminating doubt in criminal investigations
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Alumni 20 Expanding our expertise
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In brief 24
director’s welcome Cassia Spohn Director School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
“ Last year we had more than 2,300 undergraduate majors, which is more than double the number we had in 2010.�
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice has experienced dramatic growth over the past few years. We hired several new faculty members, as well as a number of lecturers and instructors, and doubled our advising staff. Last year we had more than 2,300 undergraduate majors, which is more than double the number we had in 2010. We also had more than 400 online students in the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ) program, and our Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice (MSCCJ) and doctoral programs continue to grow as well. We are literally bursting at the seams! Faculty and staff in the School are committed to ensuring the success of our undergraduate and graduate students. Our goals are to develop state-of-the-art, academically rigorous curricula that challenge students and teach them to think critically about crime, crime involvement, and criminal justice policies and practices, and to prepare the next generation of criminal justice professionals and academicians. We have developed a new undergraduate certificate in criminal investigation, and we are expanding our study abroad programs and developing new courses designed to meet the students of our students and their potential employers. Last year, 496 students earned undergraduate degrees in criminology and criminal justice. We also awarded 183 MACJ degrees, 9 MSCCJ degrees, and 7 Ph.D. degrees. As documented in this publication, faculty members in the School are involved in important and policy relevant research on issues such as police-community relations, use of technology by the police, mass incarceration and its consequences, racial profiling by criminal justice agencies, the response of the criminal justice system to crimes such as domestic violence and sexual assault, neighborhoods and crime, and gangs and crime. The results of these research projects are incorporated into the classes we teach; they also inform policy and practice at the local, state, national and international levels.
research with impact Preparing a national tool kit for police use of body-worn cameras Two ASU criminology and criminal justice professors, Charles Katz and Michael
White, are the primary authors of a new online tool kit for police departments nationwide to implement the use of body-worn video cameras. Hosted by the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance, the website draws from the professors’ own research and best practices adopted by police agencies worldwide.
“This tool kit provides needed infrastructure to police agencies to efficiently and effectively adopt body-worn cameras,” said Charles Katz, director of the ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety. Katz was the principal investigator of a 15-month study involving the use of body-worn cameras by Phoenix Police. It found the use of such technology led to more arrests by officers, an increase in charges filed in domestic-violence cases and a reduction in complaints against officers wearing cameras. The use of body-worn cameras also had drawbacks as it increased the amount of time officers spent on paperwork and the length of time to process a criminal case. “One of the lessons we learned from the study was the need to have a citywide strategic plan,” Katz said. “There are also training and deployment issues that must be addressed and the need for prosecutors to be equipped to process and handle video evidence.” The new online tool kit provides information for law-enforcement agencies to make informed decisions on adopting the use of officer-worn video cameras. It includes sections on research, policy, training, technology, privacy issues and creating a dialogue with community stakeholders. Photo: Ryan Johnson /Flickr, Creative Commons
- Paul Atkinson
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Analyzing NYPD reform Michael White and Hank Fradella provide a closer examination of police reform in New York City. Their analysis was published in From the Square, a blog of NYU Press. They are co-authors of the book Stop and Frisk: The Use and Abuse of a Controversial Policing Tactic, scheduled for publication by NYU Press this fall. The blog post follows the release of audit results by a federal monitor’s office that reviewed 600 stop and frisk cases, finding that police failed to justify reasonable suspicion in 28 percent of stops, 27 percent of frisks and 16 percent of searches. The court monitor was put in place following a ruling by a federal judge that the NYPD’s stop and frisk policy violated the constitutional rights of those subjected to the practice. Changing the practice won’t be easy. White and Fradella note that it is “extraordinarily difficult to reform police departments that have been engaged in widespread unconstitutional policing.” Because the NYPD stop and frisk policy has been in place for 20 years, White and Fradella say the practice is “deeply embedded” in the department and will take time to reform. Still, they suggest there are positive signs since the policy has been addressed. They point to a substantial decline in the number of stops in 2015, some 24,0000, compared to 685,000 stops in 2011. Their own analysis shows that while every NYPD precinct has experienced a decline in stops, the decreases are more notable in communities that had a disproportionate number of stops involving people of color. The researchers also found the percentage of lawful frisks and arrests had increased, which suggests the NYPD is making progress.
Professors, students go behind bars to improve inmate outcomes How does visitation help or hurt people who are in prison? Research suggests that prison visitation is important for a number of reasons, but little work has been done to find out why and how it can be improved. Working with the Arizona Department of Corrections, professors Nancy Rodriguez and Kevin Wright are taking a qualitative approach to finding answers. Their work significantly expands on quantitative data – for example, the number and frequency of visits – to examine the effect that visitation has on recidivism, mental health and misconduct in prison. Both Rodriguez and Wright are engaging ASU students in the project. Graduate students conducted interviews with inmates, and undergraduate students are working to analyze the data. “We ask, ‘who comes, what do you talk about?’” said Wright. “They tell us that they talk about everything from baseball to very serious conversations.” According to Wright, their discussions with inmates have taught them that visitation does matter. “One inmate knew she was going to have a problem with somebody on the yard and she went a different route to avoid getting in trouble and losing her visitation privileges,” Wright said. He added, “Whatever you are doing on the weekend, these families are lining up to see their loved ones.” Wright credits the openness of the prison administration, staff and inmates in making this project work. “It is as much access as anything, and everyone from the wardens to correctional officers have bought into this project,” he said. “Ninety-five percent of people in prison are coming back into the community. We all have an interest in finding out how to make the system better.” People don’t typically think about what goes on inside of prisons, Wright noted. “You’ll hear about murders in prison or a riot that gets national attention. We are starting to think more about these collateral consequences and who is affected most,” Wright said. “Visitation seems to be one of the few tools that we can use to understand that connection. We are not going to get rid of prisons; we are not going to stop sending people there, but at least we can minimize the harm that prisons might create going forward for these people.” Clair White, a doctoral student who worked on the project, said she has been involved in similar projects and is familiar with the sensitivities of conducting interviews in prison. “They all have a story to tell,” she said. “A lot of criminology research can be quantitative but loses the storytelling aspect of the lives behind the data. There are a lot of complexities in what they experience, especially with visitation and whether that helps them get through prison and prepare for release.” In observing visitation and conducting interviews inside the prison, the student researchers all experienced something different. Arynn Infante, a second-year doctoral student, confessed that she was a little nervous going into the interviews.
Arynn Infante and Garrett Shipley talk with professor Kevin Wright about their experiences interviewing people who are incarcerated to learn more about the impact of visitation.
“I was expecting something completely different than what I experienced,” Infante said. “Everyone was really open to telling their stories, their personal lives, how they got to where they are today and how they want to be better in the future. “When you are put in a prison setting and you are talking to these people one-on-one, it isn’t something that you get exposed to every day. You hear about crimes, sentencing and release, but you don’t hear about what happens in between,” she said. Natalie Brin Jones, an undergraduate criminology student who is also in Barrett, The Honors College, said she had never really thought about corrections, and was surprised to find it so interesting. “People are worried about staying sober and getting a job,” she said. “Few feel confident or close to prepared for release. People think incarceration solves the whole issue of crime but there’s more to it than that. Our job is to pinpoint the negative parts of incarceration so we can find a solution.” Garrett Shipley, a junior pursuing a double major in criminology and criminal justice, and psychology, said, “We were encouraged to do analysis—to draw things together and figure out why things are happening.”
Shipley is interested in ministry and says the prison aspect provided good insight. “My classes pushed me toward corrections, but seeing the kind of help that can be given to people, seeing how effective it can be is a whole other thing,” he said. “They are people—it sounds cliché but something that is often forgotten is how we treat people.” Wright found his interest in corrections from a similar path. A sociology undergraduate major, he had an internship where he met with people about to be released from prison. “For many individuals, it was a bleak prospect,” he said. “Some couldn’t read or write, and we are expecting them to stay crime free. It focused my interest from that point on—how can we improve their chances going forward?” “Hopefully our students are getting a little of that as well. Once you get to the role of corrections in our criminal justice system, you don’t have to worry as much about what people did. For me, it is finding ways to ensure they don’t come back here. Visitation seems to be a promising way to accomplish that.” - Heather Beshears
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Safe zone: creating a culture of prevention Kate Fox. Photos: Dan Vermillion
Despite common perceptions, the criminal justice system doesn’t always easily break down into simple categories of “offender” and “victim.” In many cases, scholarly data describes a far more nuanced situation, said Kate Fox, an associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Some of the barriers to successful crime prevention can be found in the criminal justice system itself, said Robbin Brooks, lecturer in the School of Criminololgy and Criminal Justice, who joined ASU in 1999 after 14 years as a Certified Juvenile Probation Officer in Indiana, working with victims, victim advocates, families and court personnel.
Fox’s research specializes in cycles of violence and victimization, including domestic violence and victimization of offenders, like gang members. “Gang members are immersed in this criminal world, so scholars often look at them as causing crime and how to prevent it,” Fox said. “I like to look at the flip side of the coin: to what degree are offenders victims? How could that victimization have exacerbated their exposure and involvement in criminal behavior? Throughout the literature, gang members often say ‘I joined a gang for protection.’ But it’s an unfortunate paradox that once they join the gang, they’re significantly more likely to be victimized.”
“Every courthouse throughout America has Lady Justice as a symbol for the criminal justice system, with the blindfold, but the reality is people see example after example of how Lady Justice is not blind and she often rewards those who come from a community that has resources. That frustrates people who don’t fall in those categories,” Brooks said.
Right now, Fox is conducting two research projects, one about how to do research in correctional facilities with correctional populations, and one involving a northern Arizona domestic violence agency. Partnering with Page Regional Domestic Violence Services, Fox will examine how effective such centers are and how their services can be improved. “We’ll be looking at the agency’s records, financial records, the services they offer and conducting interviews with the clients and the staff as well,” Fox said. “What help did they feel was essential? Was there any help they didn’t get? We’ll be taking a comprehensive look at how satisfied the clients are and whether there are any barriers to success.”
Communities of color, which experience disproportionate levels of police shootings and are often impacted by state laws perceived as discriminatory, can become distrustful of the police and courts. This distrust can exacerbate small problems and contribute to continued cycles of violence, Brooks said. “People’s perception of the system varies based on where their point of reference is, or what their family’s experience has been,” Brooks said. “What I see is people who come from communities of color are very frustrated because they see examples of people who seem to be given a different level of justice.” Brooks sees a shift beginning to occur in America, with an increase in the last couple years in police officers facing legal sanctions for behavior judged to be outside of proper police procedure and more police departments requiring officers to wear body cameras.
“What the research shows is it diffuses the situation because the person interacting with the police sees the camera and knows there will be independent evidence of what occurs. From my professional opinion, that’s a good move because it helps balance out the interaction,” Brooks said. “Regardless of having a badge and a uniform, you have a code of ethics to follow – and when you operate outside that, there should be sanctions.”
“People’s perception of the system varies based on where their point of reference is, or what their family’s experience has been.” Brooks designs her classes, including courses on juvenile delinquency and race, ethnicity and crime, to be interactive, regularly bringing in guest speakers who are working in the criminal justice field, to show the issues from different angles and provide a deeper understanding of how the system operates in the way it does, and the differences in opinion about what is effective and what isn’t.
to victims’ post-crime needs,” she said, describing what led her to an internship with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office of Victim Services, where she gained a real-world perspective on advocacy and victims’ rights. “I have always been a hands-on learner and the internship prepared me to better serve crime victims in a number of ways,” she said. “I was able to put to action methods and theories learned in most of my courses while also developing new skills I wouldn’t necessarily learn in a classroom setting.” Fox noted that within the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, as is the case elsewhere at ASU, faculty members are aggressive in applying for grants and looking at innovative ways to conduct research, in order to provide students with the most accurate and comprehensive information. “I stay up on the cutting-edge research and infuse that into the classroom so students as they go through their lives can take those tools to really think about the consequences of violence in a broader context,” Fox said. - Eric Swedlund
Excerpted from the original article published in the May issue of ASU Magazine. Read the full article at magazine.asu.edu.
“My students have responded very positively to this and are very appreciative of the chance to ask questions of someone at the Attorney General’s office, or a law enforcement officer, or the medical examiner, or people who have been in gangs, or someone who was wrongfully locked up and (later) exonerated,” said Brooks, who is also the Criminal Justice Internship Director. “We talk about those harsh realities and the flaws that our criminal justice system has.” Kennesha Jackson, an ASU alumna who works for the state as a victims’ rights administrator, says she received the right mix of classroom education and hands-on experience to jump directly into a career working on behalf of crime victims. Her department, a part of the Arizona Attorney General’s office, directs the administration and monitoring of a $3.2 million dollar Victims’ Rights Fund, which is distributed to 58 criminal justice agencies statewide. Jackson initially studied journalism, earning her bachelor’s degree in it in 2010, but covering crime sparked her interest in working closer in the criminal justice system and she enrolled in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice graduate program the following semester. She received her master’s degree in criminal justice in 2012. “One of my first courses examined theory and research concerning victimization and consequences for victims, society and the justice system as well as effective responses
Robbin Brooks
Collaborative study helps guide Phoenix Police approach to deadly use of force Lidia Nuño and David Choate Photo by Andres Guerra Luz
Six months before the events of Ferguson, Missouri, made officer-
“It wasn’t in response to any kind of political pressure, protests, or things like that,” said Choate, associate director of the center. “It was just, quite honestly, good officers being observant and wondering if there was a problem and wanting to learn more about it.”
The agency turned to the ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety to provide analysis of five years of data involving officers’ use of deadly force. The center partners with dozens of police organizations nationwide. It helps them collect and analyze data to improve responses to ongoing crime and policing problems.
Of the 198 officers who fired their weapons, 36 cases were under review and excluded from the study. Researchers were able to analyze the actions of 159 officers. Of those officers, 97 percent were determined to have acted within departmental policy. Four officers were found to have violated policy and procedures dealing with use of deadly force. The review revealed several areas where training and documentation can be improved. It cited the the lack of in-service training, failure to properly document training for all officers, particularly those involved in shootings. The study disclosed the lack of training in the use of deescalation tactics and lack of accountability in the reviews and training following incidents of officer involved shootings.
involved shootings the focal point of national debate, the Phoenix Police Department was already examining its own incidents involving use of force.
The report, released in October, reviewed five years worth of police shootings from 2009 to 2014. Researchers looked at 122 cases in which 198 officers fired their weapons. The goal was to identify patterns in officers’ practices that resulted in deadly force. The agency averaged 21.5 incidents a year with a low of 14 in 2009 and a high of 31 officer involved shootings in 2013. The unusually high number prompted the report. David Choate, one of two ASU researchers who analyzed the data, credits the police department for undertaking the review when it did.
A grading system used to evaluate cases was also found to be too binary —labeling the shootings either “in-policy” or “out-of-policy,” instead of evaluating each individual stage of the shooting as either in or out-ofpolicy..
“The report has been used both internally to improve processes and shared publicly to help provide transparency,” said Sgt. Trent Crump, with the Phoenix Police Department’s Public Affairs Bureau. In addition to affecting Phoenix Police Department policy, the report has the ability to influence other departments around the country. The agency’s study and proposed policy reforms can also be modeled by other agencies looking for ways to analyze and lower their number of officer involved shootings. “I think it’s helpful for other agencies that want to address and assess the problem they have. It kind of sets an example of how to go about it,” said Lidia Nuño, a senior research analyst with the ASU Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety. The Center helped the Phoenix Police Department turn hundreds of case files into a database that could be analyzed. “The information was stored basically as a case file, and it doesn’t lend itself to an aggregate level or any kind of trend analyses,” Choate said. “So, we worked with them pretty closely to develop a tool to collect data from the case files, as a review process, so that it could be analyzed.” With the analysis of the data, the report was able to recommend policy changes that better addressed the recurring factors leading to the department’s use of deadly force. Those recommendations include: more officer training in de-escalation techniques; establishing a tactical review committee to assess cases in which officers fired their weapons; continuing to produce an annual report of all officer involved shooting incidents and collecting and analyzing more data on how these incidents are affected by substance abuse, mental illness, officer de-escalation of force, and other contributing factors. “By focusing on the trends and patterns related to officer involved shootings we were better prepared to make substitutive change,” Crump said. Coming up with recommendations involved combining the voices of researchers from the ASU Center of Violence Prevention and Community Safety and Phoenix police officers who collaborated on the report. It’s a process, Nuño says, required an endless number of meetings and
hours and hours of back and forth conversation between the officers and the researchers. They came up with ideas for policy reforms and recommendations, which grew organically as different people added to or revised parts of the ideas presented. “It was a heavily collaborative process,” Choate observed. “I mean, there is no exact point where ASU began and the police department ended in terms of a lot of these bits and pieces and certainly around the recommendations.” The team compared the department’s practices with those suggested by the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Collaborative Reform Model,” which was implemented following a record number of officer involved shootings by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The ASU researchers found areas where the Phoenix Police Department met or exceeded federal reform model practices, and made recommendations based on where the agency needed improvement. Nuño says that the collaborative effort with Phoenix Police provides another approach for law enforcement agencies to study and address their own policies regarding officer involved shootings. “Now, other police departments have two models to look at. They have Vegas and us,” Nuño said. The Phoenix Police Department valued Nuño and Choate’s analysis, not only for the researchers’ expertise, but also for their perspective as outsiders. “Local law enforcement agencies collaborating with accredited, academic institutions on research projects is a win for our community,” Crump said. “The checks and balances occur, bringing credibility to the projects and increasing public trust.” Rather than cover up or avoid publicizing officer involved shootings, the Phoenix Police Department used the report’s recommendations to take a closer look at officers’ use of deadly force and explore its contributing factors. - Andres Guerra Luz
“I think it’s helpful for other agencies that want to address and assess the problem they have. It kind of sets an example of how to go about it.” Lidia Nuño, senior research analyst 9
Why do some parolees fail after release from prison? Alyssa Chamberlain and Danielle Wallace wanted to find out how the release of large numbers of parolees in a concentrated area affected their chances of returning to prison. To do this, they examined data from three Ohio cities: Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, from 2000 to 2009. They found that the greater the number of former inmates in a disadvantaged neighorhood, the more likely they were to commit new crimes. Data analysis also showed that those released in less disadvantaged neighborhoods and in neighborhoods with smaller concentrations of parolees faired better. The study will be published in a forthcoming edition of the journal Justice Quarterly. Their research was the focus of discussion on Cleveland radio station WCPN. Tony Ganzer, a afternoon host on the NPR station, interviewed Chamberlain about the study. “They’re going to these disadvantaged neighborhoods,” Chamberlain told WCPN News. “And when they return to neighborhoods that also have these high populations of parolees, the already limited resources that exist in these neighborhoods are just stretched too thin. They can’t accommodate these large populations.” Chamberlain explained that valued neighborhood resources include housing, jobs and programs that can help keep parolees out of trouble. “Simple things like finding a job, finding a place to live, getting help for drug problems, for alcoholism, these factors can help turn the tide in the favor of the parolee and keep them on the up-and-up,” Chamberlain said..
Taking on homelessness in the California desert Policing expert Cody Telep, an assistant professor in the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, is working with the Indio Police department on a new approach to solve homelessness in the Southern California city. Despite being the ninth largest city in Riverside County, Indio had the second highest homeless population in 2013. So, the Indio Police Department is taking a different approach. Instead of having officers work overtime to deal with homeless related problems, the agency dedicated two quality of life officers to work full time with a crime analyst. They focus their activities on areas with crime flare-ups and chronic homeless-related problems. Called the Community Outreach Resources Program, the effort is a collaboration of multiple agencies with the goal of providing housing and mental health services to those in need. “Multi-agency collaboration is easier said than done, so it’s exciting to see all these different agencies and different groups who don’t always work well together coming together on a common goal,” said Telep. “I was just in Indio last week, and at this table in the public defender’s office conference room was the district attorney, the public defender, people from the court, people from six different service providers and three different police departments, so that’s just really exciting.” Telep is studying the role of the police officers assigned to the project. The goal is to provide quantitative data to go along with qualitative information to measure the program’s effectiveness. The project features a graduation for clients who complete the program. “At the graduation, former clients talk about the impact of the program, including how getting rid of fines and fees helps them get a job and stable housing,” Telep said. “We still want to look at the quantitative data and see long-term what is happening. But those sorts of stories are powerful and it’s nice to get a chance to hear those.”
Sexual assault in the military: key data still needed A panel tasked with improving how the military handles sexual assault cases turned to Cassia Spohn for analysis. A Foundation Professor and director of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Spohn reviewed 1,761 sexual assault cases from 2012, 2013 and 2014 handled by the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. She told the Judicial Proceedings Panel to be cautious about reaching any conclusions on how such cases are investigated and adjudicated. “From research on sexual assault in the civilian justice system, we know that who the victim is, how she behaved on the night of the alleged incident, what her relationship is to the accused and whether she is willing to cooperate as the case moves forward all affect case outcomes,” said Spohn. “Those are really very important factors that predict how cases are handled. And none of that data is available in the military.”
Partnering to help families with missing persons Patricia Williams was 19 years old when her mother was seen getting into a car near 21st and Campbell avenues in Phoenix. It was Nov. 25, 1993, and her mother has never been seen again. Williams is not alone: Officials estimate that more than 600,000 people are reported missing nationwide every year. That statistic inspired lecturer Robbin Brooks of Arizona State University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice to begin a collaboration to stage Missing in Arizona, an event dedicated to connecting people with the resources to find their long-term missing loved ones. The inaugural Arizona event at the ASU West College Campus, was a partnership between the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice in ASU’s College of Public Service and Community Solutions, the City of Phoenix Police Department and Maricopa County. Similar events have shown success in other states. In Michigan, a similar event held for the last four years has resolved over 50 cases, some as old as the 1970s. In Arizona, 32 cases were intaked at the October event. To date, they have resulted in seven resolutions bringing much needed closure to the families. Friends and families of missing persons are able to file reports on site, bring medical and dental records of the missing individual, as there are many undocumented persons in the Maricopa County system. Support groups were also on hand.
Spohn previously studied the impact of rape reform laws from the 1970s and 80s. They led to improvements in how the criminal justice system responded to the crime of sexual assault. That included changes to the definition of rape and the evidentiary rules that apply in rape cases. She says she finds it ironic that the response of the criminal justice system to the crime of sexual assault is still on the political agenda four decades later “We’ re still questioning how the system, whether it’s military or civilian, responds to allegations of sexual assault,” noted Spohn. “We’re still talking, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, about legitimate rape and righteous victims. It seems to me that in the case of sexual assault, the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
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Husband and wife professors come to the middle on crime Marshall Terrill Photo by Paul Atkinson
The dinner conversation at the Terrill-Pizarro household is often lively and robust, sometimes taking on the dynamic of good cop/bad cop. Sometimes literally.
William Terrill, who grew up in a working-class white suburban town in eastern Pennsylvania and was a member of the Military Police in the Air Force, saw the good side of police. Meanwhile, his wife Jesenia Pizarro, a self-proclaimed ‘Jersey girl’ who grew up in an inner city housing project, can share scenes of police brutality.
thing we ask officers to do. Police are very good “If you look at the history of mankind as we’ve at their jobs and use great restraint but it still become more civilized, we’ve become less leaves us with a percentage who aren’t doing violent. If you look strictly at homicide rates, this those things and stepping over the boundaries, is the safest the country has been compared to the legal lines, the policy side.” 10-15 years ago,” Pizarro said. “Having said that, certain areas, mostly in the inner cities, have not Terrill said police work is ugly by nature and when felt that decrease.” it gets caught on camera in urban distressed Together, they make an interesting couple. areas, it raises uncertainty nationwide. These days Terrill and Pizarro say they have also become more civilized when it comes to their The two ASU professors arrived from Michigan “People start to think, ‘I can’t believe what I’m points of view, each one coming around to the State University in January and study the flip seeing. Maybe my perception has been wrong other’s way of thinking. side of criminal justice, often using their research all this time,’ ” Terrill said. “There will be short to educate each other. term growing pains and with that I think the long “As I have grown older and gained more term gains will be much more positive than we’re experience, I don’t discount the fact that there And sometimes not. seeing now. Body cameras and dashboard cams are still bad cops out there,” Pizarro said. “But I’ve will provide more transparency and then there also had the opportunity to learn there are far “When we first met in 2000 she told me that my will be a level playing field for citizens and police more good police officers than bad. I have seen dissertation on police restraint was essentially officers. Police who may have a tendency to go homicide detectives put in many extra hours crap,” Terrill, a new professor in the School of over the line now may say, ‘I may get caught now, trying to crack a case and officers patrolling Criminology and Criminal Justice, said with a so I won’t do that.’ ” communities who have good interaction with the laugh. people in the neighborhoods.” “I grew up where police were viewed mostly as positive and it took some time for us to see eyeto-eye. But often Jesenia demonstrates to me the other side based on her past experiences.” That other side was an inner-city housing project in Newark, New Jersey, where Pizarro grew up. It was where she saw up close how crime, drugs and undue force — which was also displayed by police — ruled the neighborhood. “I knew drug dealers. I knew people who got shot. I knew people who were homicide victims,” said Pizarro, an associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “And interestingly enough, you always knew someone who was beat by the cops or allegedly mistreated by police. “I wanted to do something and had this vision of getting the bad guys because I was surrounded by it all the time. As a kid I often wondered why people do what they do and what can we do to make it better?”
“I don’t do research to get it published in a nice journal. I want my findings to have real meaning and do something for the community.”
For his part, Terrill says he has seen police departments resist change and that are not so keen on taking advice from outsiders. However, he says the last two years have forced departments to change, or else. “There’s plenty of progressive police departments prior to this current problem but the ones who are holding onto the old ways — paying lip service to trust and legitimacy in community policing — are now saying they can no longer avoid it anymore,” Terrill said. “A great local example is Sheriff Joe (Arpaio, Maricopa County Sheriff). He was dead set against body cameras and then all of a sudden he made a comment recently, pretending he wasn’t against it at all and that his department has been at the forefront of the issue. Even he’s saying without saying it, ‘I can’t resist this movement of accountability.’ ”
Jesenia Pizarro, associate professor There is one thing on which Terrill and Pizarro can agree, ASU is a place where they can make a difference.
Pizarro mainly studies homicide and why people kill. She says most homicide research focuses The two professors, who married in 2005, on the socioeconomic issues, but she is looking “I love the urban feel of the Downtown Phoenix campus and it’s a great place to be a criminal have made life better for their students, police in a different direction. justice professor,” Terrill said. “It brings a lot of departments and the public through their research “I’m much more practical and focus on the research opportunities because you have many proximal causes; what will increase the likelihood mid-to-large sized law enforcement agencies Terrill’s research on police restraint and use of of being killed,” Pizarro said. “What are the here and I know it will yield a lot of great work.” force is complex, insightful and timely in light of immediate odds that will increase the likelihood the crisis of confidence about the integrity of law of homicide? Lifestyle, location, situational Pizarro echoed the sentiment. enforcement over a string of shootings across events, demographics, owning a gun — issues “The name of the college alone makes me want to the U.S. — some of which were captured by that help me get at the real problem. I don’t do go out into the community and translate research citizen video and viewed nationwide. research just to get my work published in a nice into real life, Pizarro said. “I’ve always wanted to journal. I want my findings to have real meaning make a difference and let’s face it, inner city girls “A lot of my research, even dating back to the midand do something for that community.” like me who grow up in the hood rarely get to 1990s, shows that three out of every four police be a professor at a top research university. It just encounters with the public shows that police Homicides are down and so is crime as a doesn’t happen.” were using less force, not more. They were often whole, Pizarro said, adding that crime is like an de-escalating as a citizen was trying to escalate accordion and comes and goes in waves. at the verbal level,” Terrill said. “They were using persuasion, their voice commands and the very
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student success
Photo: Charlie Leight
Criminology students get a ‘Clue’ The killer was Miss Scarlet with the candlestick in the conservatory.
“This is the advising staff,” he said, waving his arms around the room. “They’re more important than the professors. Get to know them.
“It’s always the candlestick,” said Austin Clemens, shaking his head.
“We have about 80 years of research on what makes college students succeed, and the number one thing is a good mentor.”
Clemens was among two dozen freshmen in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice who started their academic careers by sleuthing through a a life-size version of the board game “Clue.”
Fradella told the students to jump at the chance to work on important research with their professors.
Teams of students wandered around the college’s offices in the University Center at Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus, marking off the suspects, weapons and locations on a score sheet.
“We work with police officers and parole officers and crime analysts to figure out what works and what doesn’t work,” he said. “If you want to know how the police do search and seizure or the use of force, we want to help you learn about that.”
The clever game was a fun freshman ice-breaker. But it also planted the seeds for some of the most important relationships that students need to succeed.
Mikayla Petersen, a sophomore, works in the college and helped this year’s freshmen play the game by giving out clues in the “conservatory.” She played “Clue” as a freshman last year.
This is the third year that newcomers to the college have played the game, which was the idea of Rachel La Vine, an academic success coordinator in the college.
“It was fun to beat the other teams and I met a lot of the friends I hang out with now,” she said.
“I know with freshmen there is that awkward tension, and I wanted a way to start off the year appropriately and by establishing roots with the school and each other,” she said.
Petersen said she grew up in a family of police officers and wants to eventually work for a federal agency, “I knew a lot of kids who went through a lot of hard times and I like to know that I can help them.”
“It’s a retention effort. Retention is a matter of making these connections.”
You could say she’s giving them a clue to success.
Hank Fradella, a professor and associate director of the school, emphasized that point to the freshmen before their game got under way.
- Mary Beth Faller
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New graduate program offers chance to ‘create options’ Pursuing a master’s degree with ASU online allowed a recent Arizona State University graduate to not only expand her undergraduate education while earning money full-time. It was also a way for her to set herself apart from other professionals in her field, she says.
Online master’s degree ranked no. 2 by US News & World Report Manuel Vicens, pictured with his daughter Lia and wife Ellen, is like many of his online colleagues -- professionals looking to advance their careers.
For the second year in a row, the online master’s degree program at the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice was recognized as one of the best in the country with a number two ranking by US News & World Report. It’s also the highest ranked online graduate program at Arizona State University. “The fact that our program is ranked no. 2 is very gratifying,” said Cassia Spohn, director of the school, “especially given the time and energy that we have devoted to developing core courses and to creating new courses—such as cyber terrorism—that address contemporary issues confronting the criminal justice system.” The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice began offering an online graduate degree more than five years ago. “The faculty and staff have worked hard to develop and implement an online master’s degree that is innovative, academically rigorous and intellectually challenging,” Spohn said. Manuel Vicens started his master’s degree in the summer. He’s a senior probation officer at the Arlington Community Corrections Unit in Virginia. Vicens likes how classes are academically rigorous, but flexible. “ASU’s master’s degree program provides a solid foundation for any student or professional who is interested in contributing to the current issues in the field of criminal justice constructively,” said Vicens. “All my classmates and my professors are very professional and all extend the support and camaraderie that are conducive to a great learning environment!” Vicens is one of 425 students who enrolled for the fall semester Three-quarters, like Vicens, are from out of state. Most are professionals looking to advance their careers. “I have always wanted to finish a master’s degree,” Vicens said. “And I think this is the best time to do it, and the right school too!” Brianna Gray just enrolled in classes through ASU Online. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas San Antonio where she majored in history and a minored in legal studies. Gray is interested in working in crime scene investigations and forensics. “I like attending ASU because I know that it’s nationally recognized,” said Gray. “I live in Texas, wore an ASU shirt the other day, and someone asked about it because they had gone there too. My degree won’t say ‘online’, it will say ASU, and people will know that I got my master’s from a great school.” - Paul Atkinson
“I didn’t want to complete an M.A. or M.S. in criminal justice,” Brittany Gorman said. “Since I already had a good understanding of the topic, I wanted to enroll in a program that would broaden my horizons and create more options.” Gorman said, while her undergraduate degree in criminology and criminal justice covered a broad area, the emergency management and homeland security master’s program allowed her to specialize in a specific area. “Criminology and criminal justice is so broad, there are a plethora of careers that could be put under that category,” she said. “Emergency management and homeland security is much more defined and the entire program focused solely on those two topics.” Specializing in this area also allowed Gorman to pursue a passion she fostered after completing her undergraduate program. “I have always wanted to be a part of getting criminals off of the street,” Gorman said. “Once I started working with British Airways it made me think about criminals on a much higher scale...it made me realize that I want to help keep our country safe and secure.” Gorman worked full-time with British Airways and full-time at a second job while in the first semester of pursuing her master’s degree. She worked about 70 hours a week on top of schoolwork. “It was a struggle to say the least,” she said. “With the schedule that I kept, being enrolled in an online program was the only way I was able to finish my classes so quickly.” Gorman still works with British Airways where she has been promoted to operations supervisor and station trainer. She is looking into jobs with Homeland Security and Secret Service, corporate TSA, and FEMA as places where she might work in the future. “These jobs are difficult to get into,” Gorman said. “Having both of these degrees makes me stand out more, in my opinion.” “Whatever job I need to do to get my foot in the door I will do, and then I will work my butt off to climb the ladder.” - Andres Guerra Luz
A world of opportunity From counter-terrorism in Israel to juvenile justice in Leicester, criminology and criminal justice students are gaining a global experience through ASU’s study abroad program. Brittany Ferguson studied the mafia in Italy at Florence University of the Arts and Apicius International School of Hospitality. “My study abroad experience has helped me become more diverse, more independent,” said Ferguson.
Making a difference through undergraduate research National statistics report that one in four or five women will be a victim of sexual violence in their lifetime. Yet, college security reports—at Arizona State University and other campuses— reflect much lower numbers.
“It was really insightful for me because my professor was once a lawyer for the Italian government,” she added. Summer programs include counter-terrorism in Israel, and a course in Costa Rica to learn Spanish for Law Enforcement Professionals. For a semester experience, universities in Italy, Australia and the United Kingdom all have programs that map to students in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Emily Barney, an undergraduate student in public service and public policy with a concentration in criminology, is working to find out why. Her project stems from a domestic violence class she took with Professor Kevin Wright. In the class, Wright described his own work at Washington State University surveying students about attitudes and perceptions on sexual assault. The results showed a large number of hidden victims. Barney’s interest was piqued. “There was barely anyone reporting, but that is in conflict with mainstream media,” she said. “At ASU, reporting reflects very few assaults. So why are individuals hesitant to report to the police?” It is the lack of reporting—particularly given campus awareness and resources—that bothers Barney. “There have been a lot of advocacy, prevention and mobilization efforts taking place on our campus, but there has never been a widespread survey of the student body regarding how sexual violence is perceived and how much of an issue it really is on our campus,” she said.
Scholarship honors perseverence Christopher Allen Rearley lost his battle with Muscular Dystrophy in 2007, but his memory lives on through an endowment established by his parents, Robert and Carolyn.
Barney is revising Wright’s survey and distributing it through classes on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. It will include situational questions about student experiences with sexual violence.
Breana Curtis has been the recipient of the award in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The scholarship was one of the pieces that is enabling her to graduate debt-free this spring.
“30 or 40 years ago, people would not have talked about an experience with domestic violence or assault. It was a private issue,” she said. “Now that it is talked about, and resources are readily available, why are the reported numbers still so low?”
“It has not been easy balancing being a fulltime student, managing my two jobs, creating a student organization and still making time for serving in my local community but I did and I would not take any of it back,” she said.
Her goal is to find ways to better address the issue. “I’ve realized this is a big issue. We don’t have specific knowledge of how students are affected and how to address campus issues with better programming and awareness.” Her work will be part of her thesis for Barrett, The Honors College. Wright serves as her thesis director, along with Cassia Spohn, who will be the second reader.
During her time at ASU, she volunteered with numerous organizations including ICM Food and Clothing Bank, The Salvation Army and Hopefest AZ. She hopes to take that experience to work with a nonprofit in the Phoenix area, or potentially a law firm or public service agency.
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4+1 degree saves time and money Victor Partida didn’t wait for the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice to offer inperson classes on the campus of Arizona Western College in Yuma where he earned his associate’s degree in administration of justice studies. Classes began in Yuma in January 2016. He enrolled in the school’s online degree program six months earlier and plans to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice in December 2016. Partida won’t stop there. He’s enrolled in the school’s 4 + 1 bachelor’s/master’s degree program and hopes to graduate with his master’s degree six months later. “By taking online classes, I’m saving a lot of of time and money,” said Partida. “And that’s helping me pay for my master’s.” Partida lives in San Luis, Arizona, a city on the U.S./Mexico border about 25 miles southwest of Yuma. Through ASU, he interned at the city’s municipal court performing various duties and attending numerous court sessions. “This internship helped me see how everyone and everything works in a court,” Partida said. “Moreover, I have seen how judges interpret the law and control the hearings and trials.” The experience confirmed his desire to work in the criminal justice system. He has his eyes set on one day becoming a judge. Partida says his undergraduate and graduate classes from the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice are providing him with the kind of knowledge that will be instrumental in his career. He plans to attend law school after earning his criminology and criminal justice degrees. “For me, nothing is impossible,” Partida said. “It is just a matter of knowing what I want in life and organizing my plans carefully.” Karla Arias, a long-time advisor with the school, has worked with Partida to ensure he’s taking the right classes. “He’s a one of a kind student,” Arias said. “I love to see students who are as engaged as Victor, because I know he’s going to have a great, successful story by the time he graduates from our school.” - Paul Atkinson
Arizona State University President Michael Crow joined Arizona Western College (AWC) President Glenn Mayle to announce the new partnership between the schools.
ASU, Arizona Western College unite to address workforce needs of southwest Arizona This spring, the ASU@Yuma program allows students to complete their associate’s degree from AWC and continue their education to earn an ASU bachelor’s degree, taking all the classes needed at the same location on AWC’s campus in Yuma. Students can earn an ASU degree in criminal justice and criminology, organizational leadership or secondary education. “We are committed to working with Arizona Western College to provide opportunities for education success and educational opportunities for this community,” according to ASU President Michael Crow. “We are your partner and ready to move forward with this community.” ASU@Yuma expands higher education opportunities in Yuma to help address the workforce needs of southwest Arizona. Through the three degree programs offered, students are being prepared for careers in high-demand fields such as law-enforcement and education.
“The ability to have individuals who live and work here to complete their degree here is an awesome opportunity,” said AWC President Glenn Mayle. For students like Natalia Durazo, a secondyear student at Arizona Western College, the ability to earn a degree close to home is very important. “I’m concerned with the expenses of leaving Yuma to go to college,” she said. “However, this opportunity gives me a new way to learn and give back to the community.” Thanks to the new partnership, Durazo can earn her bachelor’s degree in Yuma. She plans to graduate with a degree in secondary education and become a high school English teacher in Yuma. - Firoz Jameel
Photo: Charlie Leight
Eliminating doubt in criminal investigations “The DNA is a match.”
understand the limits justice responders are under — especially in relation to the Fourth Amendment’s regulations on lawful search and seizure.
When you hear that phrase on modern-day detective shows, you know the jig is up; the bad guy has been caught. In a fictional TV world where crimes are solved in 30 minutes, nobody ever questions the authority of DNA evidence.
The certificate is meant for both students obtaining degrees in forensics as well as students obtaining degrees in public service.
In real life, though, doubt can easily be cast on it because people get confused by scientific jargon, or because of uncertainties about how the evidence was obtained and handled — in one famous case, the O.J. Simpson murder investigation, both factors ultimately contributed to the outcome of the trial.
“We hope with the addition of this certificate that undergraduate students on either side of the quest for justice will be able to effectively converse with each other using proper nomenclature and a better understanding of the entire criminal investigation process,” Fradella said.-
But when justice hangs in the balance, there is no room for error or misunderstanding.
As for the scientists doing the forensic testing, they need to know what happens in the field before the evidence comes to them in the lab, as well as understand the limits justice responders are under — especially in relation to the Fourth Amendment’s regulations on lawful search and seizure.
That strongly held conviction is what prompted Hank Fradella to create the new Criminal Investigations Certificate being offered through Arizona State University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice for the first time this fall. As a professor and associate director of the school, Fradella saw a need to ensure students interested in both the public service and scientific sides of criminal investigation were getting the best possible understanding of each other’s functions, techniques and limitations. “The purpose of the Criminal Investigations Certificate is to make sure that justice practitioners who are not scientists understand what’s going on in the lab, and vice versa,” he said. Non-scientist justice practitioners include police officers, firemen, paramedics and other first responders to crime scenes. “They have to know how to secure that scene in a way that does not taint the evidence, and they have to be able to preserve the evidence for future forensic testing in a way that ensures a certain degree of reasonable scientific certainty of the accuracy of the testing results,” Fradella said.
The certificate is meant for both students obtaining degrees in forensics as well as students obtaining degrees in public service. “We hope with the addition of this certificate that undergraduate students on either side of the quest for justice will be able to effectively converse with each other using proper nomenclature and a better understanding of the entire criminal investigation process,” Fradella said. Courses required to obtain the certificate will include ones offered through New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences on ASU’s West campus. “The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is particularly indebted to the forensic science program at the West campus,” said Fradella. “The faculty and staff in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences have been wonderful partners in this endeavor.” - Emma Greguska
As for the scientists doing the forensic testing, they need to know what happens in the field before the evidence comes to them in the lab, as well as
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Engaging verbal judo Nick Hill knows police have a perception problem. That’s why he goes out of his way as a Los Angeles Police officer to be polite and respectful. “I kill people with kindness,” said Hill, a 2012 alumnus of the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “People have this negative perception of police. All they see is the badge, not the person. I treat people with respect.” The Los Angeles native credits his classes and professors at ASU for instilling his approach to law enforcement. When Hill took Introduction to Criminology with professor Michael Reisig, he learned about community policing and how it can be an effective tool. As an officer, he works to gain the trust of people in the neighborhood he patrols and takes a proactive approach to resolving problems. “Every day on the job as a police officer, I have to use my discretion, intuition and patience. I follow the rules, don’t break policy, and continuously show empathy and caring to the community I serve.” That approach made Hill a successful student. “Nick was very engaging,” said Robbin Brooks, a lecturer and internship coordinator. “He always took the initiative to engage professors as well as visiting professionals.” Hill credits Brooks with a skill he uses daily. He learned it from one of her classes. It’s called verbal judo, where a person uses his or her communication skills to defuse a situation or encourage an action. “Take a domestic violence situation, the number one call where officers get injured or killed,” said Hill. “People are upset. I talk to them in a calm voice. I don’t get in a yelling match. That can make it worse. And if there is child present, he’s probably terrified. So I normally get on one knee and talk at his eye level. I don’t want to have a threatening appearance.” Hill says verbal judo allows him to be more effective as an officer and gets people to follow his commands. He suggests students interested in a law enforcement career need to ask themselves one question. “If you’re going to become a police officer, do it for the right reason. And that’s to help people,” Hill said. “Because there are going to be some days when you are really tested. That’s why you need to look deep down in your heart and ask why am I doing this? Is it for the money? To carry a gun? Or because you really want to help people?”
Juggling responsibilities to pursue a dream For Priscilla Guadarrama, walking across the graduation stage to receive her BA from the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice means not only overcoming work, homework, an internship and full-time credit hours, but also the challenges of first time motherhood. Yet with all of this, she will be the first in her family to graduate from college. “It’s definitely challenging,” Guadarrama said. Her son, Edison, was born a couple of days before the start of the 2015 spring semester. Despite her new responsibilities, Guadarrama also participated in out-of-class activities, “She’s the ideal undergraduate for me to work she was very supportive as well. I wanted to have including an internship at Moma’s House, a safe with because she’s excited to be here and she’s that kind of impact on other students.” house that aims to rehabilitate female survivors interested in the topic,” Wallace said. Guadarrama plans to get a doctoral degree to of domestic abuse and sex trafficking. Wallace believes the findings of the research are teach at the university level and conduct research Guadarrama worked with assistant professor important as they help make law enforcement addressing the victim to offender cycle as well as Danielle Wallace as part of an undergraduate professionals and others are aware of any racial rehabilitation methods. research team studying perceptions of race on biases or prejudices that may interfere with their “We have these perceptions embedded into disorder and researched how different racial work or daily lives. ourselves and we need to be able to liberate groups perceive disorder. “She kind of took me under her wing. She taught ourselves from them to be more open-minded to me how to do research and got me interested in different situations and people.” that area,” Guadarrama said. “After I had my son,
Alumnus gives back by sharing expertise A funny thing happened to Arizona State University faculty associate Doug Wilkey while attending a homecoming event. He walked out with a job offer.
Little did he know that career path would lead him back to ASU. After earning his master’s in 2009, Wilkey became the lead counselor of domestic violence offender treatment at SAGE Counseling, an organization specializing in providing services to the criminal justice system and court mandated clients.
For the past two semesters, Wilkey has taught the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice’s Domestic Violence course at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. It’s a subject matter Wilkey “I love doing it; I’m really passionate about the knows well. issue of domestic violence,” Wilkey said. “I really After earning his bachelor’s degree in justice like the work and take it very seriously.”
The student was impressed with Wilkey’s knowledge in the field and introduced him to a professor, Kevin Wright. That would lead to a guest presentation on domestic violence offender treatment in Wright’s class, and ultimately a domestic violence course for ASU. Fast forward to the fall of 2015, when Wilkey stood in front of a class ready to teach his first lesson.
Being able to balance his time at SAGE and Eager to share that passion with former be there for his students is something in which professors and fellow alumni, Wilkey attended Wilkey takes great pride. He relishes that he is the ASU Homecoming event in 2014. He also still involved with ASU. got the chance to interact with current students. “I liked it as a student, and I love it as a faculty Two undergraduate students were presenting associate,” Wilkey said. “To teach about a subject “It’s a fantastic program, from the attention from their research project on the topic of domestic matter I am deeply passionate about, at the place the professors to the information and research violence, intriguing Wilkey. I love so much, it feels like I won the lottery. I’m we learned, it all seemed so applicable and real,” “That’s just the culture of ASU, I cannot tell you very blessed.” Wilkey said. “I felt very prepared for a career in enough how supportive the culture really is,” criminal justice.” Wilkey says. studies, Wilkey held positions in various fields ranging from the private sector to government and even nonprofit organizations. He enrolled in the criminology graduate program because he felt there was more he could be doing.
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Expanding our expertise new faculty joining the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice 2015-2017
Edward Maguire, professor Expertise: police organizations, violent crime, international violence, crime prevention and deterrence, community policing, social science research methods Ph.D., criminal justice, University of Albany, State University of New York
Rick Trinkner, assistant professor Expertise: developmental psychology, social psychology, legal psychology Ph.D., psychology, University of New Hampshire
Shi Yan, assistant professor Expertise: sentencing, plea bargaining, measurement issues in research Ph.D., criminal justice, University of Albany, State University of New York
Dustin Pardini, associate professor Expertise: development of antisocial behavior, psychopathy and substance abuse, psychosocial treatments for childhood conduct problems
Michael Scott, clinical associate professor and director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing Expertise: policing
Ph.D., child clinical psychology, University of Alabama
J.D., Harvard Law School
Jesenia Pizarro, associate professor Expertise: violence and homicide prevention
Vincent Webb, professor of practice Expertise: crime and delinquency, criminal justice policies and practices
Ph.D., criminal justice, Rutgers University-Newark
Stacia Stolzenberg Roosevelt, assistant professor Expertise: child maltreatment, promoting and protecting children and their families Ph.D., applied developmental psychology, Claremont Graduate University
Ph.D., sociology, State University of Iowa
Andrew Clemency, senior lecturer Expertise: criminal defense, capital punishment J.D., Rutgers University
William Terrill, professor Expertise: police behavior, with an emphasis on police use of force policies and practices
Jon Gurney, lecturer Expertise: courts, criminal law and procedure, police and society, ethical issues in criminal justice
Ph.D., criminal justice, Rutgers University-Newark
J.D., University of Florida College of Law
Books published by faculty 2013-2017 Belenko, Steven and Cassia Spohn. 2014. Drugs, Crime and Justice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Clear, Todd R., Reisig, Michael D. and Cole, George F. 2016. American Corrections, 11th edition. Belmont, Calif.: Cenage/ Wadsworth. Clear, Todd R., Reisig, Michael, Petrosino, Carolyn and Cole, George F. 2017. American Corrections in Brief, 3rd edition. Belmont, Calif.: Cenage/Wadsworth. Curry, G. David, Decker, Scott H. and Pyrooz, David C. 2014. Confronting Gangs: Crime and Community. New York: Oxford University Press. Decker, Scott H. and Pyrooz, David C. (Editors) 2015. The Handbook of Gangs. New York: John Wiley. (Chinese edition, 2018). Ferdico, John N., Fradella, Henry F. and Totten, Christopher D. 2015. Criminal Procedure for the Criminal Justice Professional (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage. Fradella, Henry F. and Sumner, Jennifer. 2016. Sex, Sexuality, Law, and Injustice. New York, NY: Routledge. Harriott, Anthony and Charles M. Katz (eds.). 2015. Gangs in the Caribbean: Responses of State and Society. Kingston: University of the West Indies Press.
recent
faculty awards Michael Reisig
Outstanding Graduate Alumni Scholar, Washington State University
Gary Sweeten
Outstanding Contribution Award from the Division of Developmental and LifeCourse Criminology, American Society of Criminology
Eryn O’Neal
Division on Women and Crime Student Paper Award. American Society of Criminology
Katherine Ginsburg Kempany
Division on Corrections and Sentencing, Student Paper Award, American Society of Criminology
David Pyrooz (PhD in 2012)
Neubauer, David W. and Fradella, Henry F. 2016. America’s Courts and the Criminal Justice System (12th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage.
Divison of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology Early Career Award, American Society of Criminology
Owen, Stephen S., Fradella, Henry F., Burke, Tod W. and Joplin, Jerry. 2015. The Foundations of Criminal Justice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Cody Telep
Paoline, Eugene A. III and Terrill, William. (2014). Police Culture: Adapting to the Strains of the Job. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. Provine, Doris Marie, Varsanyi, Monica W., Lewis, Paul G. and Decker, Scott H. 2016. Policing Immigrants: Local Law Enforcement on the Front Lines. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Donall MacNamara Award , Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
Cassia Spohn
Bruce Smith Sr. Award, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
Schug, Robert A. and Fradella, Henry F. 2014. Mental Illness and Crime. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Spohn, Cassia and Tellis, Katharine. 2014. Policing and Prosecuting Sexual Assault: Inside the Criminal Justice System. Lynne Rienner Publishers. Walker, Samuel, Spohn, Cassia and DeLone, Miriam. 2017. The Color of Justice: Race and Crime in America. 6th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Weisburd, David, Eck, John E., Braga, Anthony A., Telep, Cody W., Cave, Breanne et al. 2016. Place Matters: Criminology for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Cambridge University Press. White, Michael D. and Fradella, Henry F. 2016. Stop and Frisk: The Use and Abuse of a Controversial Policing Tactic. New York, NY: New York University Press.
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in brief “investing in research today is how we fulfill tomorrow’s
promise to improve justice with more accurate methods and sophisticated technology in our crime labs”
Nancy Rodriguez
Center for Problem-Oriented Policing joins ASU Established in 1999 with funding from the Community Oriented Policing Services in the U.S. Department of Justice, the Cnter for Problem-Oriented Policing has a long history of advancing the concept and practice of problem-oriented policing and disseminating information about how police can effectively address public-safety problems The Center, along with its director Michael Scott, joined ASU in 2015. Center resources include: • Problem-Oriented Guides for police
Rodriguez guides National Institute of Justice Professor Nancy Rodriguez is in her second and final year as director of the National Institute of Justice. The U.S. Justice Department agency sponsors research and provides tools to reduce crime and promote justice. A priority for Rodriguez is supporting research that has a meaningful impact on public policy and improves practices within the criminal justice system. “It is our job to produce evidence-based knowledge on issues that are important to the nation,” says Rodriguez. “Issues like building trust between police and their communities, addressing the collateral consequences of incarceration and keeping schools safe.” Rodriguez also wants to see more projects involving cross-collaboration where researchers and practitioners from multiple disciplines work together on projects. Rodriguez cites studies that show a multidisciplinary approach leads to innovation.
• Recommended readings in problemoriented policing and situational crime prevention • Online library of POP-related publications • Online collections of POP project reports • Situational crime prevention studies database • Online Learning Center • Translations in multiple languages The Center sponsors the annual International Problem-Oriented Policing Conference, which will be held October 24-26 in Tempe, Arizona. Attendees describe it as the most substantive policing conference. Each year, police officers and police leaders, and all the ranks in between, as well as crime consultants and crime researchers, come together to discuss what they’ve learned about trying to reduce different crime and safety problems. Center director Michael Scott also is a clinical professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Scott was formerly a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School; chief of police in Lauderhill, Florida;
special assistant to the chief of the St. Louis, Missouri, Metropolitan Police Department; director of administration of the Fort Pierce, Florida, Police Department; legal assistant to the police commissioner of the New York City Police Department; and a police officer in the Madison, Wisconsin, Police Department. He was a senior researcher at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C. In 1996, he received PERF’s Gary P. Hayes Award for innovation and leadership in policing. Scott holds a law degree from Harvard LawSchool and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Examining the ‘Ferguson Effect’ After the shooting of Michael Brown, there was widespread speculation that crime would surge. In the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers have found that is not the case— and in fact, crime rates have been relatively unaffected. The one exception, notes co-author Scott Decker, Foundation Professor, is robbery In a release on the new study, Decker said, “Robbery drives fear of crime among the general population and is among the most feared crime, so that’s concerning.” Decker, working with colleagues David Pyrooz at U.C. Boulder, Scott Wolfe at the University of South Carolina and John Shjarback at the University of Texas at El Paso, analyzed crime data from 81 U.S. cities before and after the 2014 event in Ferguson. They covered a wide range of serious crimes including homicide, assault, burglary and theft.
An international approach to the study of policing An international summer school in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh benefited three Arizona State University Ph.D. students whose research focuses on policing. The Scottish Institute for Policing Research hosted students and professors from Scotland, Norway and the United States in early June. ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice students John Shjarback, Megan Parry and Jessie Huff joined assistant professor Cody Telep for the weeklong program. Their session included a trip to the Scottish government building and a meeting with researchers in the Justice Analytical Services Division. “Going to Scotland, learning how the Scottish police do things—the organization, the structure—really opened my mind as to how police in different countries do things,” said Shjarback, who begins teaching at the University of Texas El Paso this fall. The program featured presentations on the impact of new technology, the importance of mapping for criminal investigations and a look at how Scottish police handled organized crime. Professor Telep presented research on the integration of a Phoenix Police intelligence officer program and on the receptivity of police officers in the United States to evidencebased policing. “Many of the most pressing current issues in American policing, including legitimacy, reform, and technology, are also the focus of much research in these other countries,” Telep said. “Our understanding of the police and the best ways to enhance fairness and effectiveness in policing can be improved through international collaborations with our colleagues in Europe and around the world.” For graduate students, the week in Scotland was an opportunity to learn about new perspectives and cutting-edge research on policing policy and practice. “These classes gave me new insight into thinking out-of-the-box,” said Parry. “My research isn’t exactly traditional, so it was nice to see other people who are in engaging in nontraditional policing research.” Parry says the summer school was valuable as she now knows how to access international data. She also made many valuable connections and hopes to work on future research with her counterparts from Europe.
The Prison Inmate Networks Study
Use of stun guns could impact suspect rights
A multi-institutional team was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for their project, The Prison Inmate Networks Study. The team includes Jacob Young, assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, David Schaefer, an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Dana Haynie at The Ohio State University, Sara Wakefield at Rutgers University, and Derek Kreager and Gary Zajac at Pennsylvania State University.
It’s a phrase most people have heard time and again on television crime shows.
The ASU team is responsible for the crosssectional and longitudinal analysis of inmates’ networks and consequences of network position on post-release outcomes. This study will advance our understanding of incarceration and its consequences by focusing on prison social systems and their informal network structures. The project will answer three related research questions: (1) What is the informal social structure within prison? (2) What are the processes through which informal social structure is created and sustained? and (3) What are the consequences of informal social structure and inmates’ positions within it for inmate-level and prison-level outcomes? Understanding the prison social system and its connections with risk and rehabilitative behaviors will improve inmate and ex-inmate health, thereby reducing the costs associated with recidivism and underemployment. Study results will also contribute to our understanding of the collateral consequences of mass incarceration on vulnerable communities (e.g., disadvantaged and minority communities) that receive the majority of released inmates.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law … .” The Miranda warning is read to suspects prior to police questioning. But new research from Arizona State University suggests people who have received an electronic shock from a stun gun may not immediately comprehend those rights when read to them. ASU criminology and criminal justice professor Michael White led a study which found decreased cognitive functioning in participants who had been tased. White says short term memory and auditory learning of study participants were impacted for up to an hour. The study raises questions about “what should happen after a Taser is used in regards to the questioning of suspects.” White says that police chiefs he has talked to about the study have been receptive to the findings. He says most in law enforcement don’t believe waiting an hour to interrogate a suspect who has been tased would hinder investigations.
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Excelling outside his comfort zone Following in his brothers’ footsteps, Isaac Hernandez knew from a young age he wanted to join the U.S. Army and major in criminal justice. His mind was set on success from early on, which influenced him to join the dual-enrollment program at his high school, allowing him to complete an associate’s degree upon graduation. ASU graduate Isaac Hernandez Photo by Lisa Robbins/Department of Military Science Army ROTC The Washington native sought new opportunities and experiences outside of his small hometown. His first thoughts were enlist in the Army National Guard, but a recruiter pushed for him to pursue Army ROTC. He was offered a Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD) Scholarship and began his journey at Arizona State University “I was offered a full ride to attend an out-of-state school,” Hernandez said. “No one in my family had attended an out-of-state school, but I took the opportunity.” Hernandez will earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and commission from Army ROTC as an infantry officer for an Army National Guard unit in Washington. He will also receive the Moeur Award at the Commencement Ceremony. Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in? Answer: My two brothers were criminal justice majors and I have looked up to them since a young age, so I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to help people and be involved with law enforcement. Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you, that changed your perspective? A: The biggest thing I learned at ASU was how build relationships with people who care about you, such as mentors who can help if you have questions. Also, to have the humility of knowing that you won’t always be right, but you can rely on these people to guide you. Q: Why did you choose ASU? A: Coming out of high school a lot of my friends stayed in state, and I felt I wanted to challenge myself. Not a lot of people from a small town of 7,000 people can say they were able to leave their comfort zone, take a risk, jump on an opportunity and just go with it. ASU provided me with those opportunities to do something different than others. Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school? A: Give your best at every opportunity, whether it counts or it doesn’t — you should always try your best — because you never know who is watching or taking note. Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life? A: The Sun Devil Fitness Center field is going to be pretty memorable. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I was there at 6 a.m. for physical training. When I come back in 30 years from now, I’ll remember how I used to wake up at 4:50 a.m. to be standing in formation by 6 a.m. I’m not sure if it’s my favorite spot on campus, but I would say it’s the most memorable spot. It’s the place where my peers and I were motivated by the cadre or upperclassmen, we pushed ourselves and helped each other out. Comradery was built on that field.
Q: What are your plans for after graduation? A: I plan to move back to my home state of Washington and serve as an infantry officer for the Army National Guard, 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment. As far as my civilian career, I’m in the hiring process for the U.S. Border Patrol. If this doesn’t work out, I plan to pursue law enforcement in Washington. My goal is to become a special forces officer for the National Guard, and hopefully join a SWAT team and become a SWAT commander. Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle? A: I would help disabled veterans in whatever way possible. This goes back to being a leader: You want to take care of your soldiers because even when they get out they are still soldiers. They will always be soldiers. I would hope to have some sort of impact even if it was just one life.
Regular teenage pot use may significantly increase the risk of paranoia, hallucinations A study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry finds that teenage boys who smoked pot at least once a week were at increased risk of experiencing subclinical paranoia and hallucinations, even after they stopped using marijuana. “In this analysis we found that for each year teenagers engage in regular marijuana use, their likelihood of experiencing subclinical psychotic symptoms like paranoia increased, and these symptoms tended to persist even when they remained abstinent from marijuana use for a year,” said Dustin Pardini, an associate professor. “This is important because other studies have found that teens who exhibit chronic subclinical psychotic symptoms are more likely to develop psychotic disorders like Schizophrenia.” Pardini, together with lead author Jordan Bechtold and other researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, used data from a sample of 1,009 Pittsburgh teenage boys who self-reported their frequency of marijuana use and subclinical psychotic symptoms annually from age 13 to 18. They found that for each year teenagers used marijuana at least once a week, their odds of experiencing paranoia or hallucinations increased by more than 100 percent. Even when teenagers stopped using marijuana for a year, their heightened risk of experiencing these symptoms remained. This association was not found for tobacco, alcohol or other illicit drug use.
“Still, only a subset of adolescents that used marijuana regularly experienced subclinical psychotic symptoms, and an even smaller percentage developed psychotic disorders,” cautioned Bechtold. “We still need to understand the underlying mechanisms that account for this linkage, including why only some individuals seem to be vulnerable to the negative effects of chronic marijuana use.” The researchers caution that observational studies, such as this one, can never definitively prove causation and note other limitations, including the use of an exclusively male sample. Additionally, boys in the study
were teenagers in the early to mid-1990s. Since that time, the potency of delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound primarily responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, has increased significantly. “We know that the percentage of THC in marijuana has increased since the data were collected, and various products infused with concentrated THC are becoming increasingly available,” observed Pardini. “If there is a causal association between THC and psychotic symptoms, it might be more pronounced now than it was then.”
Join us in celebrating our outstanding alumni The ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice boasts more than 2,500 alumni since the first degree was awarded in 1995 at the ASU West campus in Glendale. Today, as part of the thriving Downtown Phoenix campus, we continue to graduate exceptional professionals who are making a difference in our communities. Help us honor these outstanding individuals through the CCJ Alumni Awards program. Alumni, faculty, staff, students or friends of CCJ may nominate. All CCJ alumni who have graduated are eligible.
Alumni Award for Early Career Excellence
Awarded to a recent graduate (within first 10 years of his or her career) for demonstrating notable early-career accomplishments that indicate future success for contributions to the fields of criminology and criminal justice through research, practice or policy.
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
Awarded to an alumnus or alumna for having made significant contributions to the advancement of criminology and criminal justice through distinguished leadership achievements (at the local, state, national or international levels) as a practitioner in one of the justice professions. The contributions do not necessarily need to be publicly renowned, but should represent important accomplishments of societal value. Visit ccj.asu.edu/alumni-awards.
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about the school
of criminology and criminal justice Our school is a nationally recognized leader in higher education and is highly regarded for its distinguished faculty and research productivity. Our program is ranked 12th in the nation by U.S. News and World Reports and our world-class faculty is engaged in cutting edge research which prepares students for the challenges of criminal justice practice in the 21st century. We are one of the highest rated programs at Arizona State University and conveniently located on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus in the sixth largest city in the U.S. Our proximity to major criminal justice agencies enhances the opportunities for instruction, practice and student internship experience.
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on the web ccj.asu.edu support our school asufoundation.org/SCCJ upcoming events CCJ at the ASU West campus classes start fall 2016 College Family Weekend happy hour Friday, Sept. 23 ASU Downtown Phoenix career fair Thursday, Sept. 29 Homecoming weekend October 21-22 Day of Service Saturday, Nov. 5 Missing in Arizona Saturday, Nov. 5 Fall convocation ceremony Tuesday, Dec. 13 more events: ccj.asu.edu/events
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School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
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