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SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award

American Society for Criminologists awards highlight special bond

Damian Cristodero — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:35:35 +0000

American Society for Criminologists awards highlight special bond Damian Cristodero Mon, 11/13/2023 - 16:35

Faye Taxman, a health services criminologist and Distinguished University Professor in ��AV’s Schar School of Policy and Government, has mentored C.J. Appleton, a PhD student in Criminology, Law, and Society, since 2019.

They have worked together at Mason’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE), of which Taxman is the director, building a professional relationship that accelerated Appleton’s evolution as a scholar and provided the center with what Taxman calls “a role model for the field.”

So it is with great pleasure for both that they will be honored at this week’s American Society for Criminologists (ASC) annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Faye Taxman. Photo by Office of University Branding

Taxman, part will receive the August Vollmer Award, given to someone whose scholarship and professional activities have made outstanding contributions to justice and/or the treatment or prevention of criminal or delinquent behavior.

Appleton will receive the Ruth D. Peterson Fellowship for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, which encourages students of color, especially from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in the field, to enter the fields of criminology and criminal justice.

“For me, to be on this journey with her and to have learned from her and to see how talented and incredible she is, it’s an honor and pretty special that we both can receive something at the same time,” Appleton said.

“It’s awesome,” Taxman said. “It makes me very happy.”

Their story began in 2018, when Appleton basically cold-called Taxman in an email to ask about Mason’s PhD programs. Appleton had turned his life around after several years in correctional institutions for an assortment of drug possession and probation violations, and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology/anthropology at Lewis & Clark College, and a master’s degree in sociology from Portland State University.

They met later at an ASC meeting and quickly learned their visions aligned. In fact, Appleton said, “[Taxman] is the reason I chose Mason.”

C.J. Appleton

“What I see in C.J. is a person who has endured a lot of struggles in his life and benefited from good, quality rehabilitative treatment services and wants to give back to the next generation,” Taxman said. “He embraces the notion that any of us can serve our community. His way is by mentoring and helping people understand that when people in society don’t do well, there are ways to help them so they can pursue a more productive life and be a productive citizen.”

Appleton said Taxman immediately made him feel part of the ACE team instead of what he called “a worker bee doing tasks for other people.”

“I have been put in charge of various aspects and components for the last five years and because of that I have a lot of confidence, not just in my skills but in my ability to figure it out,” Appleton said. “That’s one of the biggest things I’ve gotten in my experience at Mason, just confidence that comes through being put in the fire and being supported.”

Appleton said he is most proud of his research with a team that created a free resource available on ACE’s website that explains best practices and guidelines in administering probation conditions. That led to ongoing work with the state of Massachusetts to revamp its condition-setting practices.

Taxman, as Schar School dean Mark J. Rozell said, “is a powerhouse whose work on criminal justice reform reaches well beyond the academe to inform public discourse and policymaking.”

“I’ve been able to develop models about how to implement improvements in how the criminal legal system can actually help people change and reduce their criminal behavior,” Taxman said. “So this award means that I am recognized, but that my work is recognized in terms of highlighting to the next generation of researchers the different ways people can pursue having an impact on public policy and engage public institutions in change.”

A lesson that helped lead Appleton to success.

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Volleyball star finds her place on and off the court

Colleen Rich — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 12:33:54 +0000

Volleyball star finds her place on and off the court Colleen Rich Tue, 10/10/2023 - 08:33

As far back as her sophomore year in high school, Ewelina Gacek knew she wanted a career in law enforcement.

Junior criminology major and outside hitter on the Patriots women’s volleyball team, Ewelina Gacek (No. 19) has shined on the court this season. Photo by Rafael Suanes/Mason Athletics

That is why ��AV and its highly regarded Criminology, Law, and Society Department originally made it onto her radar. Add an offer of an athletic scholarship and Gacek, from Chicago, said attending Mason was something she couldn’t pass up.

Now a junior criminology major and outside hitter on the Patriots women’s volleyball team, Gacek has shined on the court for a building squad. But she also has taken advantage of a university culture and flexible environment that does not demand student-athletes cocoon themselves in what Gacek called an “athletic bubble.”

“You get the opportunities to meet people and do something separate from volleyball,” Gacek said. “It gives me another identity, and it’s cool to show people I’m not just a Mason athlete, that I am part of the Mason community in a different way.”

For Gacek, that means participating in Mason’s Police Cadet program and getting a summer internship.

Photo by Art Pittman/Mason Athletics

Still, it is volleyball that defines the Fall 2023 semester for Gacek as the Patriots try to find their way after winning only 12 matches during her first two seasons. The team already has six wins this season with 11 matches to go, including a 2-5 record in the Atlantic 10 and Gacek leading in total points and kills.

“She’s been absolutely fantastic for us this year,” Coach Megan Shifflett Bachman said. “She’s incredibly athletic. The kid is in incredibly good shape and just outworks people.”

For Gacek, though, it’s all about the team.

“I’ve never seen us have such depth at every position,” she said. “Everyone is truly ready to go, and that’s what I mean by everyone is on the same page. Everyone is willing to put in the work and be ready when they need to be.”

As a cadet, Gacek must be ready for several duties. Cadets direct traffic on campus, lock up and help patrol academic buildings, and help with security during events.

Interestingly, Gacek said no one in her family is in law enforcement, and she even had thoughts of becoming a lawyer. But after some Mason classes that were taught by faculty who had been or are in law enforcement, Gacek said her career direction solidified.

“The professors, you just can’t beat it,” she said. “It’s like I’m getting officers and federal employees teaching my class.”

That said, another possible career option did emerge last summer, when Gacek worked as an intern in Victoria Secret’s compliance office, an opportunity she got through a former teammate’s connections. There, she said, she did intake of cases and classified them according to subject matter. She also worked with senior investigators, listening in on interviews and taking notes.

“It was great,” Gacek said. “It just opened my eyes to another thing that I could do as far as my career.”

For now, though, Gacek and her teammates are focused on building toward the Atlantic 10 tournament. The event, hosted by Davidson College, isn’t until mid-November, so there is plenty of time to fine-tune, starting Friday, Oct. 13, at home against Loyola University Chicago.

“We’re all just hungry and want to prove people wrong,” she said. “We all have the same goal in mind, that we can be who we want to be.”

A sensibility, Gacek found, that Mason encourages in all its programs and opportunities.

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Lum named 2023 Distinguished Scholar by the American Society of Criminology Division of Policing

Colleen Rich — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:21:05 +0000

Lum named 2023 Distinguished Scholar by the American Society of Criminology Division of Policing Colleen Rich Mon, 09/25/2023 - 09:21

Cynthia Lum, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and director of ��AV’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, has been named the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology’s (ASC) Division of Policing.

Cynthia Lum. Photo by Office of University Branding

The award recognizes an established academic/researcher whose outstanding contributions to the field of policing either consists of a single outstanding work, a series of theoretical or research contributions, or the nominee’s accumulated scholarly contributions.

“I am thrilled that Cynthia has received this recognition,” said James Willis, Criminology, Law and Society department chair. “Cynthia is at the vanguard of the movement to ensure that scientific evidence gets a seat at the table of police policy and practice. As a scholar and researcher, she has made important contributions to knowledge about what works in making policing more effective and fairer, and as director of the internationally recognized Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, she has been instrumental to disseminating high quality scientific research and fostering closer researcher-practitioner partnerships. She has received many awards and prizes over the course of her distinguished career, and this honor is equally well deserved."

Lum was nominated for the award by former students and David Weisburd, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and executive director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. “Professor Lum is one of the most important police researchers in the field,” he said. “Her work has contributed to a wide range of knowledge about the police, but she has made particularly seminal contributions in the area of evidence-based policing. She not only contributes to the science of policing, but she has ‘made the scene’ of policing in a way that few police scholars have. Her work, which is widely cited, has also had tremendous influence on the reality of policing in the field.”

Kiesong Kuen. Photo provided

Kiesong Kuen, doctoral candidate in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, also received a 2023 ASC Award—the Outstanding Student Article Award—for his article titled "What Makes Police Officers Resist Research and Evidence-Based Policing? Examining the Role of Organizational and Environmental Factors." This award is given to a single outstanding paper on the topic of policing written by a student enrolled in a recognized PhD program.

Lum and Kuen will be honored at this year’s ASC annual meeting in Philadelphia during the Policing Division’s annual reception and awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 16.

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Evidence-Based Policing

Jeannine Harvey — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:04:21 +0000

Evidence-Based Policing Jeannine Harvey Thu, 07/27/2023 - 13:04

Is evidence-based police reform possible? | Episode 4

In the fourth episode of “Our Future, Transformed,” Laurie Robinson, the two-time assistant U.S. attorney general and a Robinson Professor Emerita at ��AV, speaks with Mason President Gregory Washington about building greater trust between law enforcement and citizens and applying science to policing.

^{I understand the frustration and I think the defunding conversation has led to some good conversations about reimagining policing. I don’t agree with just abolishing police departments. I think that we need protection. And so we need to start with what policing needs to be.}

_{^{Laurie Robinson}}

English Transcript

Transcript EP. 4: Our Future, Transformed: Is There a Solution for Over Policing?

Dr. Gregory Washington:

I’m Mason President Gregory Washington, welcoming you to Our Future Transformed a series of conversations with Mason's leading experts about solutions to the grand challenges of today and tomorrow. Joining us is Laurie Robinson, professor emeritus at Mason, and former Clarence J. Robinson, Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society. The two-time former Assistant U.S. Attorney General is here to talk to us about building greater trust between law enforcement and citizens and applying science to policing. Welcome to the program.

Laurie Robinson:

Thank you.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

After Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, you were appointed by President Barack Obama as co-chair of the White House Task Force on 21st-century policing, and I think you were on that task force with then Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. So, the task force made 59 recommendations for police reform, and it had a significant impact, as your own research showed, 40% of the nation's largest police departments changed their training and use of force policies in the two years after the report's release. And so that was a significant outcome. Why, then did you and Charles Ramsey reconvene the task force in 2023?

Laurie Robinson:

Mr. President, we reconvened the group in early February this year after the tragic death of Tyree Nichols in Memphis because we felt that despite all of the police departments around the country that had made changes based on our report and other recommendations, that there has not been enough broad action from what we would call the whole of government and the whole of communities. To address this that, that there are still many things, including problems of poverty, of racism, of systemic society, wide issues that need to be addressed. And we thought, okay, let's get the wise heads of our task force together and see what we can do to address these issues.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

This is really interesting that you would say that as a follow up to the previous question we had. So, talk a little bit about what did the evidence say? So, you convened this entity in 2014. Have this tremendous impact, have change, real change? Then you reconvene in 2023. Did the evidence substantiate, that there had been no change? What are things that had gotten worse? What are things that had gotten better?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, that's a really good question. We have a lot of evidence that within police departments that adopt that any number of them have adopted particular suggestions of changes in policy and practice that we recommended. They've eliminated chokeholds, they’ve changed no-knock warrants. They've done particular things and change use of force policies, as you alluded to. Just to cite some specific examples, but what we had not reckoned with, I think sufficiently was the setting in which the police departments are operating and what needs to happen is a what we call whole of government and whole of community approach to recognize that where you have communities facing a lot of poverty and facing a systemic racism from the past as an example, that that there is a natural conflict there, if they feel there's over-policing and harm occurring from that.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

So, does this task force have an official status?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, that's a really good question, No. We had no official status. However, interestingly the Domestic Policy Council in the White House, has not once but twice asked us for briefings. In fact, we just did one yesterday.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Outstanding, outstanding. So, my understanding is there are eight recommendations and of the eight, which is the most important?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, the first one is actually the most important because it talks about the need to change the mission of policing from simply reducing crime to a broader one of community safety.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

That is a significant outcome, to say the least. Right? Because it kind of changes the fundamental mission of the police force.

Laurie Robinson:

Right. And it has to be done in concert with the entire community and in concert with education and public health and housing etc.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Now the report does not lay all the blame on police practices. Right? You call for addressing the underlying drivers of crime and call on the federal government to support community-based organizations and local and state governments in creating safe communities. Even so, why do you believe the nation remains? As the task force report says, stuck when it comes to fixing policing?

Laurie Robinson:

Well, there are some other issues involved here. And one of the most significant ones and we addressed this in the report is the culture of policing. And we do talk in the report about the need to address that culture that the culture needs to be one much more about a culture of guardians, guardians of the community rather than warriors. I mean, there's a place for warrior culture, which is if you're dealing with terrorists and dealing with a violent drug gang. But the essence of the culture has to be about protectors of the community. And that actually goes back to Plato's vision of protectors of democracy. So, that's one point. But a second point, which goes to our the organization of our government, and that is that in our in our country, we have 18,000 police departments. We are completely decentralized in our system. And by contrast, the United Kingdom has 35 police departments. It's completely centralized. And it's all, you know, if they wanted in the home secretary's office in London to change the policy on use of force, they could issue an edict on a Friday, today, and on Monday they could have that policy issued and out and do the training on Tuesday.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Amazing.

Laurie Robinson:

Yes.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

You once said, as it relates to crime, that the more we rely on evidence rather than just emotion the greater the positive impact we will have. What do you mean by that?”

Laurie Robinson:

I'll go back, Mr. President, to just a quick anecdote about when I was first working in criminal justice, I was working for the American Bar Association. Many decades back when I was a young person coming into the field. And I went to cover a hearing in the U.S. Senate about criminal justice. And I thought, I'm really going to learn a lot from what the senators raised. It was about the Federal Criminal Code. About reforms. And I sat there, I was taking notes and really excited about what I would learn. And one senator said to the other, well, here's what I think we should do. And he said, my brother-in-law once had a case, and such and such and such and such. And I thought, is that the way they come to make decisions in a random case that came up? And I've always remembered that even though it was many decades back and it made me start really thinking about how do we come to policy decisions and from that and obviously over a number of years I really focused more and more on how we make decisions and the importance of evidence and research and science in forming both policy and practice in criminal justice. And when I was in the Justice Department later with Janet Reno during the Clinton administration and then with Eric Holder in the Obama years, I made this connection between science and policy and practice of very high priority, and particularly in the Obama administration, Eric Holder was a very big supporter of this initiative with me. And we set up a what works clearinghouse in the Justice Department that still exists today. So that practitioner knows whether it's police, or judges, or probation officers, or anyone else can just go there or students here at Mason to say what works in addressing domestic violence or what works in reducing juvenile justice recidivism, and find out what we know from research.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Professor Robinson, thank you for sharing your insights. Thank you, Mason Honors College students, for your thoughtful questions and feedback. And thank you all for joining us for Our Future Transformed.

Spanish Transcript

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Soy el presidente masón Gregory Washington, dándole la bienvenida a nuestro futuro transformado una serie de conversaciones con los principales expertos de Mason sobre las soluciones a la gran desafíos de hoy y de mañana. Se une a nosotros Laurie Robinson, profesor emérito en albañil y ex Clarence J. Robinson, profesor de criminología, derecho y sociedad. El dos veces ex asistente de EE. el fiscal general está aquí para hablar con nosotros sobre la construcción de una mayor confianza entre la policía y los ciudadanos y la aplicación de la ciencia a la policía. Bienvenido al programa.

Laurie Robinson:

Gracias.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Después de que Michael Brown fuera asesinado por la policía en Ferguson, Misuri, en 2014, usted fue designado por el presidente Barack Obama como copresidente del Grupo de Trabajo de la Casa Blanca en el siglo XXI Vigilancia. Y creo que estabas en ese grupo de trabajo dentro Comisionado de policía de Filadelfia Charles Ramsey. Bien. Así que el grupo de trabajo hizo 59 recomendaciones por la reforma policial, y tuvo un impacto significativo, como mostró su propia investigación, 40% de los más grandes del país los departamentos de policía cambiaron su entrenamiento y políticas de uso de la fuerza en los dos años después de la publicación del informe. Y ese fue un resultado significativo. ¿Por qué, entonces y Charles Ramsey ¿Volver a convocar el grupo de trabajo en 2023?

Laurie Robinson:

Señor. Presidente, volvimos a convocar al grupo a principios de febrero de este año después de la trágica Muerte de Tyree Nichols de porque sentimos que a pesar de toda la departamentos de policía de todo el país que había hecho cambios basado en nuestro informe y otras recomendaciones, que no ha habido suficiente acción amplia de lo que llamaríamos a todo el gobierno y toda la comunidad.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Bien.

Laurie Robinson:

Para abordar esto, que que aun quedan muchas cosas, incluyendo problemas de pobreza, de racismo, de la sociedad sistémica, temas amplios que necesitan ser abordados. Y pensamos, bueno, vamos a llegar los sabios jefes de nuestro grupo de trabajo juntos y ver qué podemos hacer para abordar estos asuntos.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Esto es muy interesante que dirías eso como seguimiento a la pregunta anterior que teníamos. Así que habla un poco sobre ¿Qué decía la evidencia? Entonces convocó a esta entidad en 2014. Tener este tremendo impacto, tiene cambio, cambio real? Luego te vuelves a reunir en 2023. ¿La evidencia cambió sustancialmente, que no habia habido cambio? ¿Y si las cosas hubieran empeorado? ¿Cuáles son las cosas que mejoraron?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno eso es una muy buena pregunta. tenemos mucha evidencia que dentro de los departamentos de policía que adopte eso, que muchos de ellos han adoptado sugerencias particulares de cambios en la política y práctica que te recomendamos. Han eliminado los estrangulamientos, sin órdenes de llamada. Han hecho cosas particulares y han cambiado políticas de uso de la fuerza, como usted mencionó. Sólo por citar algunos ejemplos específicos, pero con lo que no habíamos contado, creo que fue suficiente el escenario en el cual los departamentos de policía están operando y qué es todo un gobierno y toda la comunidad acercarse reconocer que donde tienes comunidades enfrentando mucha pobreza y frente a un racismo sistémico del pasado como ejemplo, que que hay un conflicto natural ahí, si sienten que hay un exceso de vigilancia y el daño que ocurre de esto, que allí.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Una vez dijiste, en relación con el crimen, que cuanto más, confiemos en la evidencia en lugar de solo en la emoción, mayor será el impacto positivo que tendremos. ¿Que quieres decir con eso?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, fue tal vez no sea la forma más ingeniosa de lo dije. fue una cita que di en un podcast que hice el año pasado. Y creo que la esencia de esto es que no deberíamos estar actuando emocionalmente. Deberíamos actuar en base a la evidencia. y basado en la ciencia. Y volveré, Senior Presidente, una breve anécdota acerca de cuando estaba trabajando por primera vez en la justicia penal, estaba trabajando para la Asociación Americana de Abogados. Muchas décadas atrás cuando yo era un joven entrando el campo. Y yo fui para cubrir una audiencia en los EE.UU. Senado sobre justicia penal. Y pensé, realmente voy a aprender mucho de lo que plantearon los senadores. Se trataba del código penal federal. Se trata de reformas. Y me senté allí, estaba tomando notas y muy emocionado sobre lo que aprendería. Y un senador le dijo al otro: bueno, esto es lo que creo que deberíamos hacer. Y él dijo: Mi hermano en la ley una vez tuvo un caso y tal y tal y tal y tal. Y yo pensé que la forma en que llegan a tomar decisions en un caso aleatorio que surgió, y siempre lo he recordado aunque fue hace muchas décadas y me hizo empezar realmente pensando en ¿Cómo llegamos a las decisiones políticas? y algo de eso y obviamente durante varios años realmente me concentré cada vez más sobre cómo tomamos decisions y la importancia de la evidencia y la investigación y la ciencia en la información tanto la política como la práctica en la justicia penal. Y cuando estaba en la Justicia Departamento más tarde con Janet Reno durante la administración Clinton y luego con Eric Holder en los años de Obama, Hice esta conexión entre la ciencia y la política y la práctica de cuán alta prioridad, y particularmente en la administración Obama, Eric Holder fue un gran partidario de esto iniciativa conmigo. Y establecimos una cámara de compensación de obras flotantes en el Departamento de Justicia que todavía existe hoy. Para que el practicante sepa si es policia o jueces u oficiales de libertad condicional o cualquier otra persona puede ir allí o estudiantes aquí en Mason decir lo que funciona para abordar violencia domestica o lo que funciona en la reducción de la reincidencia en la justicia juvenil, y averiguar lo que sabemos de la investigación.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

También este grupo de trabajo ¿Tiene un estatus oficial?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, esa es una muy buena pregunta, aunque. No teníamos pasos oficiales. Sin embargo, interesante nosotros la política interior Consejo en la Casa Blanca, no lo ha hecho una vez pero dos veces nos pidió sesiones informativas. De hecho, acabamos de hacer uno ayer.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Excepcional, excepcional. Entonces mi entendimiento son sus ocho recomendaciones y de los ocho, ¿Cuál es el más importante?

Laurie Robinson:

Bien, El primero es en realidad lo mas importante porque habla de la necesidad para cambiar la misión de la policía de simplemente reducir el crimen a un más amplio uno de la comunidad eso es.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Un resultado significativo, por decir lo menos. Bien. Porque cambia un poco la misión fundamental de la fuerza policial.

Laurie Robinson:

Bien. Y tiene que ser hecho en concierto con toda la comunidad. Bueno. En concierto con la educación y salud pública y vivienda y.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Ahora el informe no pone toda la culpa en las prácticas policiales. Bien. Llamas para direccionar los impulsores subyacentes del crimen y pide al gobierno federal para apoyar a las organizaciones comunitarias y los gobiernos locales y estatales en la creación de comunidades seguras. Aún así, ¿Por qué crees que la nación permanece? Como dice el informe del grupo de trabajo, atascado cuando se trata de arreglar la vigilancia?

Laurie Robinson:

Bien, hay algunos otros problemas involucrado aquí. Y uno de los más significativos, y abordamos esto en el informe es la cultura de la policía. Y hablamos en el informe. sobre la necesidad de abordar esa cultura que el la cultura necesita ser uno mucho más sobre una cultura de guardianes, guardianes de la comunidad en lugar de guerreros. Quiero decir, hay un lugar de cultura guerrera, que es si eres tratar con terroristas y tratar con una violenta banda de narcotraficantes. Pero pero la esencia de la cultura tiene que ser sobre protectores de la comunidad. Y eso en realidad se remonta a Platón. visión de protectores de la democracia. así que ese es un punto. Pero un segundo punto, Cual va a son la organización de nuestro gobierno, y es que en nuestro en nuestro país, tenemos 18.000 departamentos de policía. Estamos completamente descentralizados en nuestro sistema. Y por el contrario, el Reino Unido tiene 35 departamentos de policía Está completamente centralizado. Y es todo, ya sabes, si quisieran en el hogar oficina del secretario en Londres cambiar la política sobre el uso de la fuerza, podrían emitir un edicto un viernes hoy, y el lunes podrían tener eso póliza emitida y fuera y hacer el entrenamiento el martes.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Asombroso.

Laurie Robinson:

Sí. Y te cuento una anécdota rápida. Allá por los años noventa, yo representé el fiscal general, Janet Reno, en una conferencia en Alemania, y se relaciona con la formación sobre armas de destrucción masiva. Mirando hacia adelante a las cuestiones del terrorismo. Y yo informé cómo estaba resultando difícil para hacer ese tipo de entrenamiento y llegar a los jefes de policía estatales y locales. Mm. y un alemán jefe del ministerio se me acercó después y tipo de me regañó, ¿por qué en el mundo Janet Reno no acaba de ordenar todos los jefes de policía en Estados Unidos tomar este entrenamiento? Y yo le dije, Bueno, yo soy siento decirte, pero ella no puede ordenar cualquier jefe de policía en Estados Unidos tomar este entrenamiento en algo de nivel. Bueno, este es un tipo grande y tempestuoso. Y me bramó. Bueno, no entiendo lo que escribió. Y yo dije, cada policia local El departamento es completamente independiente. Bueno, en estos gobiernos muy centralizados, ellos simplemente no entienden ese tipo de cosas.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Ah, lo entiendo. Yo lo entiendo. Entonces cuando miramos lo que está pasando en muchas comunidades en América hoy, hay una falta de confianza fundamental entre la policia y las comunidades a las que apoyan.

Laurie Robinson:

Si.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Y entonces, ¿cómo puede esto se restablece la confianza? ¿Y qué debe hacer el individuo? hacen los ciudadanos privados para facilitar eso?

Laurie Robinson:

Esa es una muy buena pregunta. En estableciendo confianza, como lo pensamos, se trata de comunicación y honestidad Apertura y responsabilidad. Y básicamente, eso es sobre comunicación. Y He visto los jefes de policia exitosos que han hecho esto, especialmente si su si ha habido una mala situación ir a una comunidad y luego empezar a salir regularmente y no solo hablar, sino escuchar, haciendo una gran cantidad de escuchar. Y no puede ser únicamente con, digamos, un grupo de ministros mayores que son no voy a hablar en un dificil camino hacia él o ella. Tiene que ser hablar con los jóvenes, a la gente infeliz, a toda una gama de personas que han vivido en esa comunidad y son felices, infelices, enojado. Es y tampoco es uno y hecho. No lo haces solo una vez. Lo haces una y otra y otra vez. Parte de eso también es reconocer los problemas que tiene la policia han contribuido a. Es muy, muy importante. He oído a varios jefes decir eso. Y de hecho, con nuestra inicial grupo de trabajo en 2015, tomamos mucho testimonio alrededor del país y escuchamos de los jefes quien dijo habían salido a la comunidad cuando empezaron y terminaron eso, reconoció lo que el qué el departamento había hecho para erosionar la confianza.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Comprendido. Comprendido. que les dices a esos ¿Quién quiere desfinanciar a la policía?

Laurie Robinson:

Bueno, Yo pienso Entiendo la frustración y creo que la desfinanciación la conversación ha llevado a unas buenas conversaciones sobre la reinvención de la policía. no estoy de acuerdo con solo abolir los departamentos de policía. Creo que necesitamos protección. Creo que la policía necesita hacer un trabajo. esta volviendo a las conversaciones anteriores sobre la protección de la comunidad pero sin hacer daño. Y entonces tenemos que empezar con lo que debe ser la policía. Volver a la conversación original sobre la misión.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Te lo agradecemos. Y ahora quiero abrirlo A todos ustedes. Cualquier pregunta aquí para el profesor Robinson?

Student 1:

Profesor, gracias por su tiempo hoy. Mi hombre No localidad en el condado de Prince William un par de años atrás, terminaron su asociación entre la policia local y el patinaje sobre hielo preocupaciones o súplicas de la comunidad junto con la ley de inmigración. ¿Cuál crees que es el papel vital para la policia deberia estar preocupada inmigración e inmigración ¿cumplimiento de la ley?

Laurie Robinson:

Mi vista es que en el pasado, al menos, esto no se manejó bien. Así que sería cauteloso como jefe de policía local si yo fuera jefe de policia local en restablecer ese tipo de relación. creo que si I.C.E. estaban manejando eso de manera justa, en lugar de toparse con como eran en ese momento, corriendo a los juzgados para agarrar a la gente y ese tipo de cosa, que lo consideraría. Pero cualquier espalda sobre el tema de trabajar en sociedad con la comunidad, no parecía una buena alianza. Así que tendría que tener muchas garantías antes de firmar el papeleo.

Student 1:

Gracias profesor.

Student 2:

Gracias por estar aqui. Y esto te escuché hablar las soluciones siendo instituciones centralizadas. Piensas qué que actualmente es políticamente posible porque gran parte del gobierno parece estar preocupado por derechos de los estados y ellos mismos?

Laurie Robinson:

Enviar a los departamentos de policía combinados?

Student 2:

Sí, lo hacen. Es posible comerciar con el estado.

Laurie Robinson:

Sí. Sí. No, no creo que sea así. no estaba sugiriendo que nuestro sistema es malo. Es, es, es simplemente una realidad nuestra, de, de nuestro sistema federal de sugerimos en nuestro informe de 2015 que algunos departamentos muy pequeños podría querer colaborar con otros departamentos en cosas como entrenamiento, equipo compartido, ese tipo de cosas. Y creo que eso tiene sentido. Pero incluso eso fue hubo cejas levantadas sobre eso por esa sensibilidad. Y alguien comentó, ya sabes, este es un tema político, alguien de la Casa Blanca. De hecho, también podríamos, ya sabes, este es un tema politico porque todo alcalde quiere tener su o su propio jefe de policía. Y uno le dijo: de esos 18.000 departamentos de policía, la mitad de ellos tienen diez o menos oficiales de policía juramentados. Así que eso es diminuto, diminuto agencias, que en cierto modo es muy bueno porque realmente conocen su grupo de constituyentes. Así que eso es bueno para la policía comunitaria, pero no es tan bueno, por ejemplo, en poder tener entrenamiento sofisticado porque probablemente tienen muy poca gente para cubrir todos los turnos y ellos envían la mitad de ellos fuera para el entrenamiento. Así que hay muchos desafíos. De este modo.

Dr. Gregory Washington:

Y entonces el profesor Robinson, gracias por compartir tus conocimientos Gracias. Estudiantes universitarios Mason Honor por sus atentas preguntas y retroalimentación y gracias a todos por unirse a nosotros para Nuestro Future Transformar.

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Guest Bio

Laurie Robinson is a Clarence J. Robinson Professor Emerita of Criminology, Law and Society at ��AV. Robinson served twice – during the Clinton and Obama Administrations — as a Senate-confirmed, Presidentially-appointed Assistant Attorney General heading the Justice Department’s research and criminal justice grants agency, the Office of Justice Programs.

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Laurie O. Robinson

��AV criminologists receive $1.48 million for improving mental health responses in public safety

John Hollis — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 17:51:24 +0000

��AV criminologists receive $1.48 million for improving mental health responses in public safety John Hollis Mon, 03/21/2022 - 13:51

George Mason criminologists are to receive $1.48 million for improving mental health responses in public safety. Photo by Getty Images

��AV’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) has been awarded $1.48 million in federal funds to enhance research and practice in police encounters of individuals in mental health crises.

Led by Sue-Ming Yang and Yasemin Irvin-Erickson, senior fellows in the CEBCP and professors of Criminology, Law and Society within Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the research involves collaborative efforts among the CEBCP, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Roanoke County Police Department to enhance the capacity of policing mental health problems in Virginia. The coalition also includes the Roanoke City, Salem and Vinton police departments, each of which is also working towards implementing a co-responder model to assist people in mental health crisis.

“Law enforcement officials are routinely challenged about how to best respond and assist individuals experiencing a mental crisis—with the number of such encounters rapidly increasing,” said Mason Provost and Executive Vice President Mark R. Ginsberg. “This initiative will provide valuable training and associated resources that will assist officers as they respond and be a catalyst for supporting those in crisis—both of which will be of significant benefit.”

The funding, which was part of the omnibus appropriations bill, resulted from efforts by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who worked in tandem with Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in support of the proposal. It will be used to support research and training on diverting individuals with mental health disorders from criminal justice contact and prepare officers to respond to mental health-related crises in Virginia.

These efforts will strengthen both law enforcement’s and the community’s mental health response capacity by 1) providing officers with Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and behavioral health training; 2) building a preventative, community-oriented co-responder model consisting of crisis clinicians and officers to better respond to mental health-related crisis; and 3) providing officers with well-being checkups to screen for potential mental health issues for early interventions.

“These additional tools come at a critical time as police departments and their partners struggle to keep their communities safe while also minimizing officer use of force in these situations,” Yang said. “A co-response team provides a more person-centered and trauma-informed approach to mental health-related incidents.”

Cynthia Lum, CEBCP director and University Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at Mason, emphasized that the effort will continue long-standing research partnerships that the CEBCP faculty have with Prince William County and Roanoke County police departments.

“These partnerships sharpen our research on effective public safety interventions for those in crisis and continue to showcase the practical impact that ��AV has in the commonwealth,” Lum said.

Criminology, Law and Society graduate students will be joining Yang’s research team and advancing their research skills.

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Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy

Mason Momentum

Spirit Fall 22

Allison Redlich sees the recognition of her efforts rolling in

John Hollis — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 19:09:43 +0000

Allison Redlich sees the recognition of her efforts rolling in John Hollis Mon, 11/08/2021 - 14:09

Professor Allison Redlich. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

��AV’s Allison Redlich is being recognized by her peers for her scientific achievements as well as her mentoring efforts.

Redlich, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, found out last week that she had been elected a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). The honor follows on the heels of word that she’s also going to be honored with the 2021 American Society of Criminology Mentor Award at the society’s upcoming national conference in Chicago.

“It feels wonderful,” Redlich said, “especially the mentoring one. I myself have benefitted so much from exemplary mentoring that it’s really important to me to pass it forward. So that one was especially nice to receive.”

James J. Willis, a professor and the chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, called Redlich one of the department’s most outstanding faculty members.

“In the same month, to receive national recognition for her scientific contributions to psychology and law, and for mentoring future scholars, is quite remarkable,” Willis said of Redlich. “The fact that she manages to perform at such a high level while also serving as the department’s associate chair and director of graduate programs makes these achievements even more noteworthy. She is an invaluable asset to ��AV and her accomplishments elevate us all.”

Established in 1995, the Mentor Award is designed to recognize excellence in mentorship in the discipline of criminology and criminal justice. Redlich is the second Mason professor to be honored with the award, after David Weisburd received it in 2016.

Robert J. Norris, an assistant professor within the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, credited Redlich for much of his own success.

“I would not have been nearly as successful if it were not for her,” he said. “She essentially taught me what it means to be a researcher and scholar.”

Fellowship status is bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of “unusual and outstanding” contributions or performances in the field of psychology, according to the organization’s website. Fellow status requires that a person’s work have a national impact on the field of psychology beyond a local, state or regional level.

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Faculty News

Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy

American Society of Criminology recognizes Laurie O. Robinson’s career achievements

Colleen Rich — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:30:56 +0000

American Society of Criminology recognizes Laurie O. Robinson’s career achievements Colleen Rich Wed, 08/04/2021 - 10:30

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Laurie O. Robinson. Photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communications

She’s newly retired, but the honors continue to pour in for in ��AV’s Laurie O. Robinson following an exemplary career of service in the criminal justice field.

Robinson, who spent the past nine years at Mason as a Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Criminology, Law and Society before stepping aside from her teaching duties at the end of the just-completed spring semester, has been selected by the American Society of Criminology as the recipient of the 2021 Herbert Bloch Award, which recognizes “outstanding service contributions to the American Society of Criminology and to the professional interests of criminology.”

Robinson, who will continue to be involved in an emerita role with Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will be formally recognized at the ASC annual meeting in Chicago in November.

“I am very honored and really thrilled,” she said. “To be recognized by colleagues in the criminology field makes me feel extremely honored and touched.”

It’s just the latest honor bestowed upon Robinson, who co-chaired President Obama’s White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing and twice served as an Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs before coming to Mason.

Cynthia Lum, University Professor of Criminology, Law and Society and the director of the CECP, nominated Robinson for the award.

“Laurie Robinson’s contributions to criminal justice cannot be overstated,” said James Willis, chair of the Department of Criminology, Law and Society. “Her career has been devoted to a vision for criminal justice reform founded on rigorous scientific evidence, and one that advances fundamental democratic values such as justice, fairness and equality.”

Willis lauded Robinson for her ability to “tirelessly and expertly” navigate the often-perilous waters of the policy and academic worlds to achieve the best outcomes possible.

“She brought this same vision and work ethic to the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, and particularly to its new MS program in Criminal Justice,” Willis said. “She was instrumental in helping create an innovative graduate learning experience, and her teaching of the capstone course introduced CLS students to the possibilities and pitfalls of meaningful reform. An important feature of her impressive legacy will include shaping the next generation of criminal justice leaders. I can think of no one more deserving of this award.”

Robinson said she’s long taken pride in that ability to have all parties keep the big picture in mind.

“I’ve always been in the policy world, but I cherish my relationships with academia,” she said.

Cynthia Lum, David Wilson honored as Fellows by The American Society of Criminology

John Hollis — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 20:49:31 +0000

Cynthia Lum, David Wilson honored as Fellows by The American Society of Criminology John Hollis Wed, 06/09/2021 - 16:49

Cynthia Lum. Photo by Creative Services

��AV’s Cynthia Lum and David B. Wilson were recently named Fellows by the American Society of Criminology, and will be officially honored at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago in November.

ASC Fellows are recognized for their scholarly contributions to criminology and distinction in the discipline, according to the organization’s website. Examples of contributions may include innovations in public policy as well as enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the Society and the field of criminology. In addition, a Fellow must have made a significant contribution to the field through the career development of other criminologists and/or through organizational activities within the American Society of Criminology.

“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to be named a fellow of the American Society of Criminology, and especially to receive this recognition alongside my wonderful colleague Dave Wilson,” said Lum, who is the director of Mason’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy.

David B. Wilson. Photo by Creative Services

Lum and Wilson join David Weisburd and Stephen D. Mastrofski from Mason’s Department of Criminology, Law and Society as Fellows in the organization.

“Congratulations to Cynthia and Dave on this major accomplishment,” said James Willis, the department chair. “They make us proud. Our department now has four Fellows in the American Society of Criminology, which is remarkable and testament to its rise as a top-ranked department producing cutting-edge research and first-class undergraduate and graduate students.”

A former Baltimore City police officer, Lum is a leading authority on evidence-based policing, which advocates research, evaluation and scientific processes in law enforcement policymaking and practice. She has written extensively about patrol operations and police crime prevention activities, as well as police use of technology such as body cameras. In 2020, Lum received the Virginia State Council for Higher Education Outstanding Faculty Award.

Wilson's work focuses on advancing scientific knowledge on how to change offender behavior or prevent individuals from committing crimes to help minimize harm and advance justice.

Examples of programs that he has examined include juvenile curfews, restorative-justice and trauma-informed programs for delinquent youth, juvenile and adult drug courts, and police-worn body cameras. Much of his work applies the statistical methods of meta-analysis to synthesis evidence from rigorous social science research. Wilson is a recognized expert on these methods and has contributed to their advancement.

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Faculty and Staff News

A new study will examine delays in compensating the wrongfully convicted

Colleen Rich — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:04:57 +0000

A new study will examine delays in compensating the wrongfully convicted Colleen Rich Wed, 03/10/2021 - 13:04

Photo by Getty Images

It’s not realistic to expect the criminal justice system to always be perfect, but ��AV’s Allison Redlich doesn’t think it’s too much to ask that it addresses the mistakes it makes in a fair and timely fashion.

Allison Redlich

Redlich, a professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a colleague at Central Michigan University have received a collaborative National Science Foundation grant of $385,000 to study wrongful convictions within the U.S. criminal justice system, the factors that initially lead to them, and the many delays from various states in doing right by the wrongfully incarcerated after their release. The project, which begins in June, is called “Collaborative Research: Exoneration and Compensation: The Role of False Confessions.”

“We’re excited,” Redlich said. “The criminal justice system is never going to be perfect. I think that’s not an ideal we can strive for, but we can try to right wrongs when we find them through compensation, usually financial. Some do get compensated, but there are a lot of challenges and obstacles for many others. So, there are a lot of different nuances we’re trying to examine.”

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, we now know about more than 2,700 people have been wrongfully convicted since 1989 only to be later found innocent of the crimes of which they were accused of committing. They collectively represent 24,590 years lost.

But doing right by them has been a painfully slow process for these victims, the majority of whom are poor and persons of color.

More than 35 states and the District of Columbia each have their own specific guidelines for financially compensating those erroneously sent to prison, but they vary from state to state. Some offer as much as $80,000 for each year a person was wrongfully imprisoned, while others have imposed strict caps on the amount of compensation offered, or offer no financial compensation at all.

A major part of Redlich’s project is to determine whether the delays in justice can be attributed to false guilty pleas and false confessions in which people—unaware of their rights or other legal options—are pressured into admitting guilt. States have proven considerably less inclined to compensate someone wrongfully imprisoned under those circumstances.

“False guilty pleas are a major part of my research agenda,” Redlich said. “About 20% of known exonerations are false guilty pleas; they are a big problem similar to false confessions and are similarly misunderstood.” Some states’ compensation statutes effectively bar persons who falsely admitted guilt by including so-called “contributory clauses”—claiming that the person contributed to their own wrongful conviction.

The research project will feature interviews with wrongly imprisoned people who did not falsely confess and were later financially compensated, as well as those who did and the challenges they’ve since encountered in trying to be compensated for the injustices inflicted upon them. The researchers will also interview the attorneys who represented the wrongfully imprisoned and the advocates for the nonprofits who labored on their behalf to see to it that justice was finally and correctly done.

A second focus of the research will include an experiment to take a close look at possible employment discrimination of exonerated persons following their release from prison to gauge the effects of wrongful conviction on job prospects. Like the rightly convicted, exonerated individuals experience the stigma of having served prison time and face many obstacles to reintegrating into society, Redlich said.

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National Science Foundation