Conference
Proceedings from the WPACJE Meetings, October, 2001
WESTERN
AND PACIFIC ASSOCIATION OF
CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATORS
2001
Conference Schedule
Vancouver, British Columbia
Thursday,
October 18, 2001
12:00
- 5:00 p.m.: Registration
1:00-1:30
p.m.:
Welcome/Opening Remarks, Mary Stohr, President WPACJE
1:30
- 3:00 p.m. Session One: THE CHANGING FACE OF CORRECTIONS
Chair
and Moderator:
Presenters:
John
Worrall, California State University, San Bernardino, “Does Probation Work?
An analysis of the relationship between caseloads and crime rates in
California Counties.”
In spite of the importance
of probation programs, relatively little is known about their effectiveness.
Existing research hints at a connection between better probation
programs and reduced recidivism, but the academic jury has not yet delivered
its final verdict on the effectiveness of probation programs.
We compared California caseload data to crime rates reported by local
law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
We then conducted a statistical analysis which allowed us to control
for other facts known to influence the crime rate in order to isolate the
impact of probation programs. Our
results suggest that lower probation caseloads are effective in reducing
crime.
Faith
E. Lutze, Ph.D., Washington State University, “The Acceptance of
Ultra-Masculine Stereotypes and Violence in the Control of Women Inmates.”
Historical
and contemporary accounts of women’s prisons have shown that women are
often subjected to policies and practices that are abusive.
Many scholars have made the connection between the prison experiences
of women inmates to the abusive relationships many women have had prior to
prison. This study builds upon
prior research by making the connection between the pattern of behavior used
by individual men to establish control of women through domestic violence,
the institutionalization of ultra-masculinity, and women’s experiences in
prison.
Ken
Kerle, Ph.D., Managing Editor, American Jail Association, “Cooperation
Through Community Collaboration.”
The
presentation will look at the criminal justice system through the idea of
cooperation through community collaboration.
The presenter will briefly touch on the PONI program, the National
GLAINS Center Approach, and his own involvement over the past six years in the
Washington County, Maryland, Advisory Council on Mental Health and
Corrections. The progress of combining community and criminal justice
agencies will be described with shortcomings noted.
Mike
Norman, Ph.D., Weber State University, “Housing State Prisoners in County
Jails-The Utah Experience.”
The
practice by locally operated jails of “renting out” available bed space to
house sentenced state and federal prisoners is a controversial one.
At year-end 2000, over 63,000 state and federal prisoners were being
held in jails or other locally operated facilities.
This paper discusses and disadvantages associated with this practice.
In addition, the paper includes a thorough description of the Inmate
Placement Program operated by the Utah Department of Corrections in
conjunction with 19 of the state’s 26 county jails.
3:00
to 3:15 p.m.: Break
3:15
to 4:45 p.m.: Session Two: TEACHING TOOLS
FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATOR
Chair
and Moderator:
Presenters:
Jacqueline
B. Helfgott, Seattle University, “The Prison Tour as a Pedagogical Tool in
Undergraduate Criminal Justice Courses.”
This
paper explores the use of the prison tour as a pedagogical tool in
undergraduate criminal justice courses. Reflection
papers written by students on their experiences visiting male and female
correctional facilities are examined and discussed in conjunction with the
author’s experience using prison tours in criminal justice courses.
Findings suggest that prison tours help to debunk myths about crime and
punishment, humanize offenders, and stimulate integration of affective and
cognitive learning consistent with the goals of criminal justice education in
the Liberal Arts. The pedagogical
costs and benefits of the prison tour as a supplement to traditional teaching
methods are discussed.
Kay
Gillespie, Robert Wadman and Michelle E. Heward, Weber State University,
“Using Works of Fiction to Teach Criminal Justice Students.”
A
roundtable discussion about a masters course at Weber State University, taught
by four faculty with different criminal justice backgrounds and expertise,
utilizing works of fiction. The
discussion will include the particular books used for this class, an
assessment of the class from both the professors and their students, and an
open discussion about further use of this methodology.
Friday,
October 19, 2001
8:30
- 10:00 a.m. Session Three: VICTIM
ADVOCACY ISSUES
Chair
and Moderator:
Presenters:
L.
Kay Gillespie, Weber State University, “The Timothy McVeigh Execution”
Kate
King, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Boise State University,
“Interviewing Co-Victims of Homicide: Strategies and Suggestions”
What
are the experiences of the families of murder victims and the families of
death row inmates? Are they similar? This
paper, based on seventeen interviews and victim impact statements, examines
the strains and joys of interviewing family members of murder victims, changes
in the viewpoint of the researcher, and obstacles in accessing family members
of death row inmates. Ethical and
procedural issues are addressed, as well as suggestions for both researchers
and criminal justice practitioners from the victims themselves.
B.
Joyce Stephens, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, SUNY at Fredonia, “After the
Arrest: The interactions of Domestic Violence Victims and Offenders.”
The
domestic violence literature lacks detailed accounts by survivors of their
interactions, following intervention by the criminal justice system, with
abusers. Arresting offenders is
never the end of the story. What
happens to victim/offender relationships after the arrest event?
Do they terminate the relationship?
Do they reconcile? What
are the characteristic patterns of post-arrest encounters between survivors
and offenders? We interviewed
survivors of battering and solicited accounts of their interactions with
abusers following the abusers’ arrests.
Our respondents described seven characteristic patters of post-arrest
interactions: persistent interactions despite their preference they end;
frequent court processes involving offender encounters; intractable
negotiations over children and financial issues; threats and harassing
behaviors; physical assaults; and damage to victims’ possessions.
Jacqueline
B. Helfgott, Madeline L. Lovell & Charles F. Lawrence, Seattle University,
“Citizens, Victims, and Offenders Restoring Justice: Accountability, Healing
and Hope through Storytelling and Dialogue.”
This
paper presents findings from the evaluation of Citizens, Victims, and
Offenders Restoring Justice, a prison-based program conducted at the
Washington State Reformatory involving dialogue between victims, offenders and
citizens. The paper describes the
program and reports descriptive results from evaluation of program seminars
and follow-up meetings conducted 1997-2000.
The model is offered as a method by which the concept of restorative
justice can be practically applied in a correctional setting.
Opportunity for restorative justice-oriented programs to meet the needs
of victims, to provide a means of accountability for offenders and to educate
citizens about crime and justice is discussed.
Mark
K. Stohr, PhD, Association Professor and Chair of the Department of Criminal
Justice Administration, Boise State University, “Idaho Crime Victimization
Survey - 2001"
The
amount and types of crime victimization in rural states has not been
adequately researched in the past. Crime
victimization surveys at the federal, state and local levels have also
typically tended to ignore domestic violence, child abuse and neglect and hate
crimes. In Idaho, a coalition of
interested stakeholders and agencies, coordinated by the Idaho State Police,
have worked to refine and administer a crime victimization survey that is
particularly suited to our state and its population.
Our survey includes queries regarding the garden variety of index
crimes and questions on domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, hate
crimes, and in the most recent iteration of the survey, stalking.
In our presentation we will discuss both the composition of our survey,
lessons learned from this endeavor and the findings from the 4th
administration of the Idaho Crime Victimization Survey.
10:00
to 10:15 a.m.: BREAK
10:15
to 11:45 a.m. Session Three: EMERGING OUTCOMES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Chair
and Moderator:
Presenters:
Daniel
P. LeClair, PhD., Stonehill College, Easton, MA, “Drug Treatment Centers:
Program Evaluation and the Concepts of Outcomes Monitoring and Outcomes
Management”
This
roundtable discussion presents the results of a formal evaluation of a unique
community-based addition recovery treatment program.
The research design for the evaluation of the substance abuse treatment
program involved a process in which the research team deliberately tried to
influence the outcomes of treatment. Based
on the findings revealed in the well known social science classic, the Hawthorne
Studies, a premise was followed in our research: if we know someone is
watching us, sometimes we change our behavior.
But rather than view this effect as a research bias, the author of the
present evaluation argues that the ongoing research process itself may help
motivate managers and staff to increase both productivity and effectiveness.
The research design included both process and outcomes measurements.
David
Mueller, Boise State University, “Obstacles and Resistance in Evaluating a
School-based Prevention Program .
Various
scholarly evaluations of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) indicate
that the program has little to no effect on adolescent drug use.
In spite of these studies, however, DARE continues to receive strong
support from parents, school administrators, and law enforcement personnel. In fact, various authors have argued that the aim and
symbolic mission of programs like DARE and other school-based prevention
iprograms make them virtually immune to criticism.
This paper will review some of the obstacles and resistance that was
encountered in the evaluation of one such school-based prevention program
implemented in Spokane, Washington.
Craig
Hemmens, Mary K. Stohr and Mary Schoeler, Boise State University, “One Step
Up, Two Steps Back: The Progression of Perceptions of Women’s Work in
Prisons and Jails”
The corrections workplace has undergone tremendous change during the
past quarter century. Judicial
intervention, public and media attention, and “get tough on crime”
initiatives have all led to a variety of changes.
Opportunities to work in corrections, in all positions, have increased
dramatically. In an effort to
determine how correctional staff today regard the presence and capabilities of
women in the work environment we specifically developed questions that
addressed this issue and included them in a more broadly conceived
questionnaire administered to correctional staff in several prisons and jails
in a western state. In this
paper, we report our findings regarding the gender-related items.
We found that while jail and prison staffs generally share similar
views regarding most gender-related issues, there are some significant
differences between both male and female respondents and those with prior
military experience on the items regarding the competency of female staff.
Robert
Harvey, St. Martin’s College, “United
States v. Burns and States v. Pang: Is the requirement to seek
assurances against the death penalty before extradition a violation of
Washington State’s sovereignty?
In
United States v. Burns, the Supreme Court of Canada held that the
Minister of Justice failure to seek assurances from the authorities in
Washington State that the death penalty would not be sought before ordering
extradition of two Canadian citizens violated section 7 of Canada’s Charter
of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court of Canada has held in all but one case that
the Charter does not apply beyond the borders because to do so would infer
with another state’s sovereignty. Yes,
by requiring the Minister of Justice to seek assurances that the death penalty
would not be sought before ordering extradition, the court has effectively
interfered with the Washington prosecutor’s decision to seek the death
penalty. Nevertheless, the
Washington Supreme Court suggested in State v. Pang that state
prosecutor’s discretion to file specific charges and to seek certain
penalties is restricted by a foreign court’s extradition decision.
This paper explores the relationship between United States v. Burns
and State v. Pang.
12:00
to 1:30 p.m. LUNCHEON
Provided with your registration. Guests
are welcome and may attend this luncheon at a nominal fee.
Hamar Foster, professor of law at the University of Victoria, will
speak on the history of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and draw
comparisons to the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution.
2:00
p.m. COURT TOUR - Within
walking distance of the hotel.
5:00
to 6:00 p.m. WPACJE GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING
Election Discussion
Budget Presentation - Robert Morin, WPACJESecretary/Treasurer
Newsletter - Robert Morin
ACJS Affiliation and Report
Future Conference Sites
Other Business
6:00
to 8:00 p.m PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION HOSTED BY MARY STOHR
Saturday,
September 21, 2001
9:00
- 10:30 a.m. Session Five: CONTEMPORARY LAW ENFORCEMENT
Chair
and Moderator:
Presenters:
Andrew Giacomazzi, Boise State University; and David C. Brody,
Washington State University Spokane, “Show Me the Way: The Effectiveness of
External Assessments in Facilitating Organizational Change in Law
Enforcement.”
Police
departments across the United States have been challenged in their efforts
toward board implementation of community policing.
This paper examines the level of change at five law enforcement
agencies in the western United States. The
changes at these agencies were precipitated by an independent, external,
on-site assessment of each department conducted by the Western Regional
Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety (WRICOPS), one of 35 regional
community policing institutes funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s
COPS Office. The nature of the
on-site assessment is discussed, along with reasons as to why the process
tends to promote rather significant organizational changes in some law
enforcement agencies, but only cursory changes in others.
Robert
Wadman, Weber State University, “The Elements of Institutional Racism
in America’s Police Departments”
Obscured for the view of most people is the reality of institutional
racism in America’s police departments.
However, a view of police department racism is clearly formed in the
collective mind of the African American community.
Why is racism so clearly seen and felt so strongly by most in the
African American community even though so few see it or feel it in white
America? This dichotomy between
white and black opinions regarding racism in the police is at the foundation
of racism in America. The bedrock
assumption of most Americans is grounded in the idea that police departments,
and the police officers in them, are objective.
Remember the images of a blindfolded lady justice holding a balance
scale and the police, portrayed in a metaphor, as the “thin blue line?” Woven through our hearts is the feeling that the consistent
cry of racism is an excuse and surely comes from those who have committed
criminal acts. In the communal
mind of white America is the unanswered question: if racism exists in the
police, is it because criminals within the African American community bring it
upon themselves? This paper
attempts to explain these issues and identifies core issues that indicate that
America’s police departments are afflicted with an institutional structure
and environment that is a catalyst for racism.
Ronald
Helms, Western Washington University, “Political Contingency, Asset
Forfeiture, and Budgeting for Social Control: An Empirical Examination”
This
study assesses empirical hypotheses linking political-contextual factors
that increase social control risks with county-level social control
expenditures. After controlling for the effects of organizational size and
complexity, local calls for service (911), area crime and minority
population size, economic deprivation and diverse sources of diminished
informal social control, an indicator of total asset forfeiture value
exhibits a strong and significant correlation with total social control
budgets. The literature on asset forfeiture highlights
entrepreneurial incentives
associated with these programs and also their moral risks. The pattern of
resource acquisition among county social control agencies exhibits features
that are potentially generalizable to other areas of government resource
acquisition. Policy implications are discussed.
10:45
to 12:15 p.m. Session Six:
ROUNDTABLE - CRIMINAL JUSTICE RELATED DECISIONS OF THE 2000 SUPREME
COURT TERM
Chair
and Moderator: Craig Hemmens, Boise State University
Participants: Craig Hemmens, Boise State University, Robert Harvie, St.
Martin’s College, John Worrall, California State University San Bernadino,
Robert Morin, California State University Chico, Mike McCrystal, California
State University Sacramento and Michelle E. Heward, Weber State University.
Discussion
of leading criminal justice cases from the 2000 United States Supreme Court
term. Each presenter will summarize different cases and the panel
will discuss the cases.
Adjourn
Sunday,
October 22, 2001
Directors’ Business Meeting