Pracademically Speaking

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Latest Episodes:

Episode 13: Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) (w/ Jim Stover) Jan 30, 2025

This episode is a conversation between Dr. Bret Bucklen and Jim Stover (JRI Coordinator for the PA Department of Corrections) on the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). We discuss what exactly JRI is, and also the history and impact of JRI efforts in Pennsylvania.

Episode 12: Year-End Review of Research Dec 17, 2024

In this year-end episode, Dr. Bret Bucklen and producer Jeff Coleman sit down to review and discuss some of the research and evaluation accomplishments at the PA Department of Corrections during 2024. They discuss results from studies on topics such as inmate visitation, Intensive Parole Supervision caseloads, reentry relocation, and the in-prison Violence Reduction Initiative.

Bret and Jeff also chat about what is ahead on the research and evaluation agenda in 2025, which is a preview for listeners of what they can expect to hear about in future episodes.

Episode 11: Prison Violence (Bill Nicklow) Nov 20, 2024

In this episode we speak with Bill Nicklow, deputy superintendent for facility security and special operations at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Bill talks with us about the practical side of efforts to reduce prison violence. He also shares highlights of his long and interesting career in the department. Bill provides context to the prison violence report by Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, which we spoke with her about on the last episode.

Episode 10: Prison Violence (Dr. Nancy Rodriguez) Nov 04, 2024

In this episode we speak with Dr. Nancy Rodriguez from the University of California-Irvine about a multi-state project that she and several of her colleagues have been conducting for the past five years to examine the causes and consequences of prison violence. As this project is now coming to a close, Dr. Rodriguez shares with us some of the major findings from the project. She also shares relevant practical implications for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

Episode 9: A Tribute to Mark Kleiman (Part 2) – SCF Supervision Oct 21, 2024

In this episode we continue to remember the life and legacy of Mark Kleiman. We review perhaps his most important practical contribution to the field, what he called Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) Supervision. The principles of SCF Supervision were laid out in in his 2009 book, “When Brute Force Fails.” We discuss various ways that the PA Department of Corrections has implemented the principles of SCF Supervision.

Additional Resources on “When Brute Force Fails” and SCF Supervision:

Episode 8: A Tribute to Mark Kleiman (Part 1) Oct 07, 2024

Mark Kleiman was a special friend to the PA Department of Corrections, partnering with us on many initiatives over the years such as assisting in incorporating the principles of swift, certain, and fair (SCF) supervision into practice, in-prison violence reduction initiatives, and other evaluation and innovation efforts. This special episode is a tribute to the life and legacy of Mark Kleiman. We discuss his personal and professional connections with us, his many efforts to help us improve as an organization over the years, and his broader legacy to the field.

Episode 7: PA DOC Corrections Innovation Day Sep 04, 2024

On July 31, 2024, the PA DOC, along with Penn State University, hosted their first ever Corrections Innovation Day. The event brought PA DOC staff from various levels and types of positions together with a large group of academic partners in order to brainstorm around innovative and testable solutions to some of the department’s most important issues, such as recidivism reduction, in-prison violence reduction, restrictive housing reform, and staff wellness. In the special episode, you’ll hear a report from various participants at this event. A special thanks to Arnold Ventures for sponsoring the event.

Episode 6: Risk & Needs Assessment, part 2 (Jason Stauffer ) Aug 20, 2024

In the second part of this month’s series, we talk with Jason Stauffer, the PA DOC’s Supervisor of Assessment and Classification Services. Jason talks about his background in corrections and assessment, how the PA DOC uses risk and needs assessment, and specifically how the PA DOC uses their new Strong-R assessment instrument.

Episode 5: Risk & Needs Assessment, part 1 (Dr. Zach Hamilton, Sean Hosman, and Marjorie Rist) Aug 05, 2024

In the first part of this month’s series, we talk with the team at Vant4ge, a company that produces a correctional risk/needs assessment tool called the Strong-R. We discuss what risk/needs assessment is, and also discuss its importance in the corrections field. The Vant4ge team talks about what new developments are happening in the risk/needs assessment industry.

Episode 4: Desistance and Recidivism, Part 2 (Dr. Laurel Harry, Secretary of Corrections) Jul 15, 2024

In this follow-up episode, we continue our discussion on the concept of “desistance” with a very special guest: Dr. Laurel Harry, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Sec. Harry talks about her career and about her interest in implementing desistance as a practical framework in the field of corrections.

Episode 3: Desistance and Recidivism, part 1 (Dr. Bret Bucklen) Jul 01, 2024

In this episode we discuss the concept of “desistance,” an idea which has been around for a while in academic criminology but is only now beginning to catch on among corrections practitioners and policy-makers. Dr. Bucklen describes what desistance is, discusses how to define and measure it, and explains its practical use as a complimentary measure to recidivism by correctional agencies.

Resources referenced in this episode:

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ 2022 Recidivism Report

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report – “Desistance from Crime: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice”

Episode 2: How Research and Statistics Are Used at PA DOC (Mr. Chris Oppman and Dr. Lucas Malishchak) Jun 17, 2024

In this episode we talk with two key leaders at the PA DOC, Deputy Secretary Chris Oppman and Deputy Secretary Lucas Malishchak, about how the areas under their purview within the department use research and statistics to make better decisions.

Episode 1: Why Have a Research & Statistics Office in Corrections? (Dr. Bret Bucklen) Jun 03, 2024

In this first episode of the re-launched podcast we talk with Dr. Bret Bucklen (PA DOC Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics) about what his office does and what value it brings to the department. We explore the importance of research and evaluation in corrections.

Innovations Around the Opioid Epidemic Jul 15, 2019

In this episode, we talk to the PA DOC’s first ever winner of the Staff Innovations Award, Parole Agent Louis Zayon, about his lead in cleaning up a large open air drug market in Philadelphia. We also talk with Stanford University psychiatrist Keith Humphreys about what we know and don’t know on effective criminal justice responses to the opioid problem.

Understanding IADSS May 13, 2019

In this episode, a team of Industrial Engineers from Lehigh University (now affiliated with a start-up company called Optamo) talk about the Inmate Assignment and Decision Support System (IADSS) that they built for PA DOC. This innovative system is the first of its kind in the country. We also talk with current and former staff from the PA DOC’s Office of Population Management (OPM), who are using this new system.

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