The criminal justice 鈥� professional track bachelor鈥檚 program, which launched Fall 2024, will prepare students for professional careers in criminal justice and related agencies. Housed in the College of Community Innovation and Education and designed to provide students with a broad understanding of crime and the justice system, the new track also embeds courses that culminate in a certificate in criminal justice management and leadership.

鈥淚n recent years, we haven鈥檛 had any direct feed lines from the academic environment directly into an operational position,鈥� says , associate professor of criminal justice and professional track coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice. 鈥淭he professional track aims to equip students for promotion and advancement as they move through their careers in correctional or policing agencies.鈥�

Available both fully online and face-to-face, the professional track follows the same core requirements as the traditional , but it鈥檚 tailored toward the acquisition of a criminal justice management and leadership certificate along with the state certification. Students鈥� electives are more leadership-oriented and public administration-focused, with courses covering topics like budgeting and human resources.

It鈥檚 also unique in that it culminates in a mandatory internship 鈥� a police or correctional academy. Since these academies don鈥檛 always operate on a rolling basis, student sometimes experience a waiting period between graduation and commencement of the 770 or 420 hour academies for state certification, which then takes a few months to complete. The professional track streamlines this process by embedding the academy into the program of study as an internship, allowing students to go right from graduation to employment.

Another benefit of the program is the creation of relationship-building and networking opportunities between students, agencies, communities and the university. Watkins says the need to develop quality law-enforcement and corrections officers has been growing, and this new track can help answer that call.

鈥淗ere in Central Florida, the pieces have been there, and we just had to put them together,鈥� Watkins says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e received tons of support from law enforcement, and it just kept building and building. Why not take advantage of an opportunity where you have a group of academics and practitioners collaborating on community partnerships and finding students jobs?鈥�

The call for law-enforcement officers who have a four-year degree isn’t new. In fact, it’s been part of Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice recommendations since the 1960s. Through meetings with leaders of various local law-enforcement agencies, Watkins and Matthew Matusiak 鈥� a former faculty member who helped develop the program 鈥� have also been learning of each individual community鈥檚 needs.

This will assist faculty in providing more tailored advising services for students, who can be steered toward the professional relationships that might be most beneficial to them and their goals. It also facilitates the creation of a professional pipeline and targeted recruitment pool for law-enforcement agencies, especially one that feeds into serving local communities.

Over time, 麻豆原创 criminal justice faculty will be able to conduct research and develop a database that tracks the professional outcomes of each cohort. Factors such as job satisfaction, promotions, community satisfaction and more can be used to help determine the program鈥檚 measurable impact and adjust as necessary.

鈥淥ur hope is to have a greater capacity via program and professional metrics to see and know where our students went and succeeded,鈥� Watkins says. 鈥淭he ultimate goal for the professional track is to equip students who want to serve their communities as they work toward becoming the next generation of law-enforcement leaders.鈥�

Students who wish to declare the criminal justice professional track should contact Watkins at cory.watkins@ucf.edu.

On Thursday, Smith and the Orlando Police Foundation (501c3) announced a new endowed scholarship program funded by the foundation to help 麻豆原创 criminal justice and legal studies students achieve their dreams 鈥� and succeed in those high-demand fields.

“Providing scholarships opens the door of opportunity for students to have a bright future,鈥� Smith. 鈥淭his will undoubtedly help students succeed. It will also help agencies like OPD hire the best to join our agency.”

The Orlando Police Department Endowed Scholars of Excellence Fund established a $75,000 endowment that will award two undergraduate students annually with $1,500 scholarships. Eligible 麻豆原创 students can apply for the new endowed scholarship via the Office of Student Financial Assistance beginning in Spring 2025.

The new endowment was announced on a day dedicated to engaging alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students, fans and the community in playing a part in the success of the university. Gifts made throughout the day support 麻豆原创 academic programs, faculty excellence, student success, athletics and more.

鈥淭he generosity of chief Smith and the Orlando Police Foundation will benefit our students and our community for generations to come,鈥� says Rod Grabowski, senior vice president for Advancement and Partnerships and CEO of the 麻豆原创 Foundation. 鈥淧hilanthropy is so important to the future of our university. It strengthens our academic programs, fuels life-changing student scholarships and helps faculty conduct groundbreaking research. We appreciate all of our donors who have stepped up to support 麻豆原创 during our Day of Giving.鈥�

麻豆原创鈥檚 criminal justice program is a leading talent pipeline to many area law enforcement agencies, including OPD, which employs many 麻豆原创 alumni in sworn and civilian roles. Many graduates also serve with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Secret Service, 麻豆原创 Police Department, and sheriff鈥檚 offices across Orange, Seminole and Brevard counties, among other agencies.

Criminal justice graduates are in high demand in many sectors, including in the courts, corrections, advocacy, juvenile justice and cybersecurity.

麻豆原创鈥檚 legal studies program is located at 麻豆原创 Downtown, close to the Orange County Courthouse, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and many other job and internship opportunities. Students can develop professional skills through participating on highly successful mediation and moot court teams and an undergraduate law journal. Many students go on to law school and then successful careers with law firms throughout Florida and beyond. Students also can be hired as paralegals after they earn their bachelor鈥檚 degree.

鈥淥ur students learn from outstanding faculty members and partners with strong backgrounds in the criminal justice and legal studies fields, and they graduate well-prepared to thrive in their careers,鈥� says B. Grant Hayes, dean of the College of Community Innovation and Education. 鈥淏y investing in the success of our students, chief Smith and the Orlando Police Department Foundation will help them grow their talents, identify and pursue their ideal careers, and go onto serve and protect their communities.鈥�

Smith graduated from 麻豆原创 in 1993 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice. After working for OPD for 28 years, Smith became chief in 2022.

He initially moved to Orlando to play football at 麻豆原创. As a student, he completed an internship with what is now Homeland Security Investigations. He says the contacts he made proved invaluable for allowing him to step into his career.

The Orlando Police Foundation was formed in July 2020 as a support organization for the men and women of OPD.

鈥淲e wanted to create a foundation to help provide financial assistance to members of law enforcement in their times of need,鈥� says Joe Nunziata, president of the Orlando Police Foundation and CEO of FBC Mortgage LLC. 鈥淲e like to say that we are there to protect the protectors.鈥�

In 2021, the hotline received more than 2,800 calls connected to Florida and 781 cases of human trafficking were identified in the state 鈥� making it the third highest state in the nation. More than 2,250 victims were involved in these cases.

In 2016, Orlando ranked third in the nation for cities with the highest number of calls per capita related to human trafficking, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

鈥淲e host a lot of conferences and high-profile events that draw a lot of people into the state and to Central Florida,鈥� says Jeffrey Goltz 鈥�06笔丑顿, executive dean of Valencia College鈥檚 School of Public Safety and 麻豆原创 public affairs alum. 鈥淯nfortunately, when you have those big events that drives the demand for sex trafficking.鈥�

But the problem is much bigger than Orlando or Florida. An estimated 25 million human trafficking victims across the globe generate $150 billion annually for their captors, according to the International Labour Organization.

Goltz teamed up with 麻豆原创 Professor of Criminal Justice Roberto Potter and 18 other experts in the field to write Human Trafficking: A Systemwide Public Safety and Community Approach. The textbook provides a practical victim-centered approach to dealing with the issue that differs from the standard theoretical approach of the past.

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 one of those crimes where you get the victim through the trial,” Potter says. “You get the conviction against the person who victimized them and then basically say, 鈥楾hank you. Goodbye.’ What these folks really do need is long-term support. It may even be lifetime because for many of them one of the ways they were controlled was through the use of chemicals.鈥�

How Someone Becomes a Trafficking Victim

In the book, Potter, Goltz and the other authors cover how human-trafficking cases unfold from tip to trial and discuss topics such as how trafficking happens, health care professionals鈥� role in reporting trafficking and prevention.

Traffickers enslave their victims through fraud, force or coercion. False promises to provide safety and a better life, physical restraints, threatening to harm loved ones and blackmail are just a few ways these methods are used.

鈥淭he trafficker looks for vulnerable victims,鈥� Goltz says. 鈥淩unaways, young people that come from poor family situations where there may be some violence in the family, are a lot of them. Because they promise the victim everything.鈥�

Types of Trafficking

Once a trafficker gains control of a person they can force them to engage in sex trafficking, which accounts for the commercial exploitation of 4.8 million people, 听or labor trafficking, which occurs when a person provides goods or services without proper compensation.

鈥淵ou see trafficking in construction and other industries where basically (employers) enslave these people by charging them more to house, feed and transport them than they make so that the victims can never really get away from their trafficker,” Potter says. “We see people in the migrant industries around agriculture and in the restaurant industry that go through this too,鈥� Potter says.

Trafficking鈥檚 Connection to Drugs

Human trafficking is the second-most lucrative criminal business in the world, with drug trafficking making the most profit. The large sum of money generated from human trafficking comes from the ability to sell a person over and over again to perform a service, whereas crimes such as drug trafficking only allow criminals to collect a profit once off of their product.

Drugs also play a role in how people become and stay victims of trafficking. Often a trafficker will promise to supply their victims with drugs, as well as food, shelter and luxury items, in order to gain their trust and reliance. Victims are fed drugs in order to make them mentally weak and prevent them from escaping.

Signs of Trafficking

Healthcare professionals are one of the few people a trafficking victim might come in contact with that can become aware of their situation and get them help.

鈥淲hen people come in with these interesting, particularly genital, injuries or STDs, health care professionals try running a series of questions by them to see if there’s a trigger there that law enforcement or social services need to be called, but also keep in mind the victim is often very closely accompanied by their trafficker,鈥� Potter says.

Goltz emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to be properly trained to look for signs such as brandings, tattoos and lack of ID on them, that indicate someone might be trafficked.

What Happens Once Victims Are Found

Discovering a human trafficking victim is only half the battle. Gaining an enslaved person鈥檚 trust, prosecuting their captor and rehabilitating the victim are the real challenges law enforcement faces when dealing with these crimes.

It can be extremely difficult for police to get a victim to come forward or to provide information about their captor because their experiences with being trafficked often destroy their ability to trust others, especially authority figures.

鈥淎nother one of the biggest challenges with prosecuting these cases happens because victims and suspects, the traffickers, cross into different jurisdictions all the time,鈥� Goltz says. 鈥淵ou know, somebody can be trafficked across county lines, state lines and even internationally. That’s why all the prosecution teams have to work with each other to bring successful prosecution to these traffickers.鈥�

Prevention and Changing the Approach to Trafficking Cases

While law enforcement is a long way away from solving the millions of cases of human trafficking around the world, Potter says it is crucial for police, prosecutors and the average person to change the way they look at trafficking victims in order to address the issue.

The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation, which handles cases in Orange and Osceola Counties, is one local organization that already is doing this by embedding a unit of social workers that go out with law enforcement on calls for human-trafficking cases.

Ultimately practicing adequate prevention methods is the only way to stop more and more cases of human trafficking from happening.

鈥淚 really do go back to family and good human relations, education and sex education, a sexual ethics that talks about respecting other people,鈥� Potter says. 鈥淢orality is a key here鈥搒trong moral values reduce crime. The idea that anybody can make money or control other people really is a concept that we have to somehow make so difficult for anybody to think that’s acceptable.鈥�

The work can help ensure people on probation and parole get the help they need while also maintaining public safety.

, an associate professor in the , is the principal investigator of the new project, which is funded by a three-year, $670,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The team鈥檚 findings will be readily accessible and disseminated via the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) to better inform and prepare community supervision agencies moving forward.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, community supervision agencies were forced to drastically adapt policies and best practices to address public safety goals for supervising those on probation or parole while reducing the spread of COVID-19. This included supervision through virtual meetings to maintain social distance.

Some of Viglione鈥檚 previous research examined the pandemic鈥檚 impact on community supervision agencies from 2020 through 2022 and provided foundational research on how agencies and officers adapted. However, she says one of the greatest challenges they faced was a lack of clear and consistent guidelines 鈥� the impetus for this project.

鈥淢uch of my research identified significant changes to practice and lessons learned from the pandemic, so we need that next step to look at some of the long-term impacts of these changes on supervision outcomes 鈥� like trends in violations, successful and unsuccessful completions 鈥� as well as taking what agencies learned about the ways they could adapt supervision in order to create specific and evidence-informed guidelines,鈥� Viglione says. 鈥淭he goal is that these data-driven guidelines we develop are really going to help agencies be better prepared to respond to future health emergencies.鈥�

The project is a collaboration between Viglione, researchers at George Mason University 鈥� including co-principal investigator Faye Taxman 鈥� and experts at APPA. The team will operate with a three-pronged approach. Beginning in July, they will convene a work group of experts in the probation and parole field, as well as infectious disease and medical experts, to help provide insight.

Next, the project will move into case studies involving three different jurisdictions as identified with the assistance of the work group. In each jurisdiction, the team will survey and interview community supervision clients, officers and administrators. The researchers will also look at administrative data to examine trends in outcomes 鈥� before, during and post-pandemic 鈥� based on what changes were made and their resulting impacts.

鈥淲e’re going to analyze all of this information and data to create findings reports from each case study, and then bring them to the expert work group for feedback that will help inform the project鈥檚 two main deliverables: a database of successful practices and policies throughout the pandemic as well as the new evidence-based guidelines themselves,鈥� Viglione says.

In conjunction with the guidelines, APPA will convene a new core committee on health and safety. The team鈥檚 findings will also branch out to other topics related to the health and safety of community supervision clients and staff, further informing conversations surrounding national health issues.

Viglione says her team鈥檚 research could also provide insight into the implications of reform-related changes in community supervision that have been discussed but often met with resistance. That includes possible incorporation of technology like virtual meetings with clients under supervision beyond the pandemic.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the main goal, but there are some potential indirect benefits in that our findings will be able to inform some ideas for reform that could be linked to some of the bigger problems in community supervision,鈥� she says. 鈥淔or example, a lot of directors and officers really liked using technology and virtual meetings, but they wanted to know if there was empirical support for doing this beyond when we had to do it during the pandemic.鈥�

She says her ultimate hope is that their findings will be used to make progress in the field, both in how policies related to public health and safety are organized and how they could also serve as change agents for reform.

鈥淟earning from the perspective of everybody involved really has the potential to improve the field not only by informing empirical-based guidelines but also by adding to the growing conversation surrounding reform in the system,鈥� Viglione says.

For many students, an academic position is the goal. For others, it鈥檚 industry. Getting into academia is challenging. The American Association of University Professors reports tenured faculty positions have declined to approximately only 21% of the academic labor force.

鈥淎cademic jobs are challenging to obtain 鈥� maybe more so than ever,鈥� says Daniel Franklin 鈥�18笔丑顿, a 麻豆原创 physics alum who joined the University of Toronto in Fall 2021 as a full-time tenure-track assistant professor in biomedical engineering. 鈥淚 would guess this is due to the extreme level of competition from a vast number of highly qualified scientists.鈥�

麻豆原创 Physics Professor and nanooptics researcher Debashis Chanda mentored Franklin during his time at the university.

Throughout Franklin鈥檚 years at 麻豆原创, his work was exemplary. He received the Order of Pegasus honor. His research on plasmonic structural color displays was selected by the U.S. National Science Foundation as a 鈥淵ear of Light 2015鈥� favorite. He also received the international Displaying Futures Award by Merck Germany and was awarded NSF grants of $300,000 and $400,000. After graduating, Franklin extended his physics background to biomedical engineering applications and became a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University in the lab of John Rogers.

Franklin received multiple faculty interviews including one at the University of Cambridge, U.K.

鈥淭he best you can do is position yourself within this competitive cohort [and] realize that the final cut will be due to 鈥榬esearch fit鈥� at the hiring institution and things outside of your control,鈥� Franklin says.

He emphasizes that although he is working in academia, it is not the only path to fulfillment.

Many of the greatest discoveries and inventions of the past century have been developed outside of academia, Franklin says.

鈥淏e set on positively impacting the world with your research regardless of where it takes place,鈥� he says.

The Postdoctoral to Faculty Process

Not many students go immediately from a Ph.D. to an academic position. Often it takes a postdoctoral appointment or two before landing that academic position 鈥� and even postdoctoral positions are competitive.

A postdoctoral appointment is an added training period in between being awarded a doctorate degree and becoming an independent academic researcher. They usually last between two to four years and are more common in certain fields, depending on the job market and additional training necessary to become competitive in those fields.

Postdoctoral researchers represent a critical component of the research ecosystem. For principal investigators, these are emerging colleagues, says John Weishampel, senior associate dean and director of the interdisciplinary studies MA/MS programs at 麻豆原创. They have skill sets and knowledge beyond graduate students and may help manage the research lab, mentor students, and create new areas of knowledge.

In certain fields, such as biology for example, having one or two postdoctoral appointments is almost mandatory to obtain a tenure-track position at an R1 institution, Weishampel says. These appointments can expand one鈥檚 research experience and scientific network to assist in landing a tenure-track position.

The process of becoming tenured is highly individualized and extremely difficult to accomplish. On average, it takes approximately six years to complete.

When graduates interview for jobs, they aren鈥檛 just competing with other graduating Ph.D. students. They are competing with postdoctoral researchers and mid-stage assistant professors. As Ph.D. students, they are competing internationally within their research area.

Excellence and Persistence is Everything

Abraham Vazquez-Guardado 鈥�16MS 鈥�18笔丑顿 received both his masters and doctoral degree in optics and photonics from 麻豆原创, also under Chanda鈥檚 supervision. He received the Dean鈥檚 Fellowship in 2018. Vazquez-Guardado became a postdoctoral fellow and continued his research projects under Chanda at the . 听Vazquez-Guardado鈥檚 research on chiral optics received an NSF grant of $360,000. He went on to gain another postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University, where he currently conducts research in implantable devices for applications in biomedical and neuroscience research, from 2019 through 2022.

After submitting more than 30 applications to various departments at several institutions, Vazquez-Guardado was offered 14 different interviews. Of the 14, he received three on-site interview offers from North Carolina State University (NCSU), Lehigh University and Harvard.

鈥淗e played a key role as a Ph.D. student to build my group and contributed a lot to [the NanoScience Technology Center] and CREOL,鈥� says Chanda about Vazquez-Guardado’s contributions at 麻豆原创. 鈥淥btaining faculty jobs at a top university is not just rare from 麻豆原创, but extremely difficult in general. I am so impressed with his enormous success.鈥�

It takes many years of preparation to be competitive in the job market, Vazquez-Guardado says.

鈥淵ou must have massive track records of academic achievements to prove your potential as an independent researcher capable of generating new ideas, fundable ideas, that will support your research enterprise in the years to come,鈥� he says.

Vazquez-Guardado suggests that prospective faculty candidates remain focused and resilient.

鈥淭emptations to divert to other career paths will pop up during the academic program,鈥� Vazquez-Guardado says. 鈥淚f you really love what you do, the hunt for a faculty job will be less of a hurdle but an embracing challenge.鈥�

Vazquez-Guardado has accepted a position as a tenure-track assistant professor in the electrical and computer engineering department at North Carolina State University and will begin his post in January 2023.

Another recent 麻豆原创 alum on a tenure-track is Frances Abderhalden 鈥�20PhD, who graduated with her doctorate in criminal justice and has been working as an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics at California State University, Los Angeles beginning in May 2020.

The Importance of Mentorship

Under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Computer Science Pamela Wisniewski, three other 麻豆原创 alums have also secured tenure-track positions: Karla Badillo-Uriquiola 鈥�14 鈥�15MS 鈥�22PhD, Kevin Pfeil 鈥�10BS 鈥�13MS 鈥�22PhD and Afsaneh Razi 鈥�22PhD.

鈥淭hey worked very hard to get to where they are, so they deserve the success they achieved,鈥� says Wisniewski. 鈥淣obody handed it to them.鈥�

Badillo-Uriquiola obtained her modeling and simulation doctoral degree this spring and will join the University of Notre Dame鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and Engineering this fall as an assistant professor. Both Pfeil and Razi also graduated with computer science doctoral degrees in Spring 2022. Pfeil will be joining the University of North Florida on tenure-track also as an assistant professor. Razi is bound for Drexel University as an assistant professor.

鈥淎lthough many dream of tenure-track positions at R1 institutions, plenty of students go into industry or to teaching schools as well,鈥� says Wisniewski. 鈥淭rue success is doing what makes you happy and something that can make the world a better place because you are part of it.鈥�

麻豆原创 graduates in the arts go through their own rigorous process, which is also highly competitive. Many who have earned their Master of Fine Art have secured tenure-track positions. For example, Victor Davila 鈥�97 鈥�07MFA and Matt Dombrowski 鈥�05 鈥�08MFA earned their degrees at 麻豆原创 and stayed on as tenure-track faculty. In the performing arts area Tara Snyder 鈥�07MFA and Elizabeth Horn 鈥�10MFA听also earned MFAs from 麻豆原创 and are now tenured at the university.

鈥淭hose we mentor are in many ways our greatest contributions to our field,鈥� says Associate Vice President for Research and Professor of Optics Winston Schoenfeld. 鈥淚t speaks volumes when they are successful in securing offers for faculty positions at prestigious institutions.鈥�

This pretrial period, when a judge decides if a person charged with intimate partner violence should be detained pretrial, is a critical time, says Bethany Backes, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 Violence Against Women research cluster and the project鈥檚 co-lead investigator.

An improper decision about pretrial detention could result in the release of someone likely to commit a new violent crime.

鈥淲omen are dying during this period,鈥� Backes says. 鈥淲hen survivors separate or become estranged from their partner, it鈥檚 a time of heightened intensity, and probability of homicide increases.鈥�

That鈥檚 why the researchers will work to create evidence-based, intimate partner violence pretrial safety assessment guides for judges to use when considering pretrial detention in such cases, with a focus on achieving safety for intimate partner violence survivors during this period.

The goal is to improve the well-being of survivors and decrease homicides during the pretrial period, Backes says. The project is supported by Arnold Ventures, a Houston-based philanthropy dedicated to maximizing opportunity and minimizing injustice.

鈥淧ost-arrest and the time waiting for trial are delicate,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hose who use violence against their partners often try to reconcile, threaten and intimidate survivors, or may increase stalking and surveillance tactics. This will help us better understand what abuse is occurring during the pretrial period and ensure it is addressed in our recommendations for judges.鈥�

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 33 percent of women in the U.S. are physically abused by an intimate partner in their lifetimes, and 25 percent report severe intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

Backes, who holds joint appointments in 麻豆原创s and , will work on the study with a team that includes co-lead investigator, Jill Messing, a professor in the School of Social Work and Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions at Arizona State University.

Current pretrial assessments are often based on general likelihood of committing a new offense or missing a trial date. They rarely incorporate existing, specific factors for continued intimate partner violence, Backes says, such as an accused person鈥檚 history of dangerous forms of intimate partner violence, if the accused person owns a gun, has threatened to kill the survivor or children, if they have strangled the survivor, if they have a history of stalking and more.

The researchers will work to change this by merging intimate partner violence safety factors and pretrial safety factors and validate their effectiveness for use in pretrial decision-making using criminal justice data and reports from survivors throughout the pretrial period.

The safety factors will come from established tools that are typically implemented by police officers when responding to intimate partner violence calls to determine next courses of action, such as getting a survivor in touch with a personal safety advocate.

These include the Lethality Screen, the Danger Assessment for Law Enforcement, and the Danger Assesssment-5.

Also, intimate partner violence survivors will complete weekly assessments to help the research team understand the types of abuse experienced during the pretrial period that are not necessarily reported back to the criminal justice system.

鈥淎lthough intimate partner violence-specific safety assessments have been developed for use with informed collaborative interventions, these safety assessments have not been assessed for use in pretrial settings,鈥� Backes says. 鈥淭his will be the first inquiry regarding the impact of risk assessments and safety-based recommendations on pretrial decision-making and outcomes in intimate partner cases.鈥�

Project collaborators include Kevin Grimm and Neil Websdale, professors with Arizona State University; Christopher Maxwell, a professor with Michigan State University; and Tami Sullivan, an associate professor with Yale University.

Backes received her doctorate in social work from the University of Maryland Baltimore. She worked for more than 10 years as a social science analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice. She joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Criminal Justice and School of Social Work, part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 and , respectively, in 2019.

These agencies, which traditionally rely on face-to-face interaction, serve some 6 million Americans by helping them find and maintain employment, attend substance-abuse treatments, ensure they are paying fines and don鈥檛 reoffend.

And considering these agencies are typically slow to change, the problem of how they can serve a large number of vulnerable people in new ways, and do so quickly, becomes incredibly complex, says Jill Viglione, an assistant professor in 麻豆原创鈥檚 .

That鈥檚 why Viglione is working on a National Science Foundation-funded project to find out how correctional agencies across the country have adapted their policies and practices during the pandemic. The researcher received a $105,467 Rapid Response Research award from NSF for the project, and the results will inform a website that will include effective strategies that agencies can look to now and in the future.

鈥淚n addition to providing data on innovations used across the country to help during the immediate crisis, we鈥檙e also working to develop the foundation for best practices for corrections agencies to use during future public-health crises,鈥� Viglione says. 鈥淐orrectional agencies are likely going to need to have pandemic-response plans going forward.鈥�

Since Viglione studies organizational change in correctional agencies, she was interested to find out how they were dealing with the forced changes caused by COVID-19.

She says some of the ways agencies may have adapted include:

• completely shutting down their offices
• only bringing in people with a high-risk to reoffend
• supervising lower-risk individuals through video-conferencing services or other technologies
• suspending supervision fees.

To perform the study, the researcher and her team will survey people at community corrections agencies across the country using contact information collected by the team to form a national correctional-agency database.

They will also follow up the surveys with in-depth interviews of community supervision officers nationwide to better understand how working during the pandemic has affected them. Follow-up interviews with the officers will occur every 12 weeks during the course of the one-year study.

鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about this research because this is an unprecedented time to explore the priorities of correctional agencies, how they make decisions, and how these decisions may impact the field for years to come,鈥� Viglione says. 鈥淚 don’t know that there will ever be a more interesting time to study change in an organization.鈥�

Viglione received her doctorate in criminology, law and society from George Mason University, her master鈥檚 in criminology, law and society from Villanova University and her bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice from Quinnipiac University. She joined 麻豆原创鈥檚 Department of Criminal Justice, part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Community Innovation and Education, in 2017.

The problem was identified by Orville Clayton, who graduates this week with a Ph.D. in public affairs in the health services management and research track. As part of his dissertation, he studied the state of mental health services in jails across the听state and ways to diagnose and address the conditions of inmates.

鈥淚ndividuals with mental health illnesses who are not adequately treated pose 鈥� harm to the community to which many will return if they are not stabilized during the period of incarceration,鈥� Clayton said.

The goal of his research is to help the correctional system identify ways to address mental illnesses in inmates. Moving forward, he suggests training jail security on mental health issues, creating a continuity of care system that involves community partners and inmates鈥� families to obtain relevant information, developing a systematic manner to assess the quality of mental health services offered in jails, and implementing an approach to treatment that considers genetic, psychological and social factors that may influence one鈥檚 mental health.

His interest in mental health services in jails stems from a 25-year career as a health-care provider and administrator in the correctional system. He currently works as the mental health director at the Seminole County jail, which听has taken steps over the years to expand its mental health services.

The Seminole County jail offers screenings, assessments, medication administration and management, specialized housing, individualized and group counseling and psychoeducation, case management and limited discharge planning, he said.

鈥淎t a time when many jails provided limited and certainly isolated mental health services, [former] Sheriff Don Eslinger [of Seminole County] initiated many partnerships with community providers 鈥� to develop sustainable mental health services within a continuum of care that included the jail,鈥� Clayton said.

Over Clayton鈥檚 professional career and throughout his research, he鈥檚 come to understand the importance of addressing mental illnesses in inmates, but he鈥檚 also come to understand that a lack of resources often prevents more mental health services from being available.

鈥淢ental health care is not cheap, especially when it concerns dealing with hospitalization,鈥� said Robert Hugh Potter, a 麻豆原创 professor in criminal justice. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have many certified mental health diagnostics in jails except in very large jail systems.鈥�

Many jails, including in Seminole County, are considered medium-sized jails with the capacity for 250-999 inmates, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, meaning they do not benefit from the same resources as large jail systems.

鈥淭his research demonstrated for me the importance of shared knowledge as a prerequisite to identify service gaps and implement practical and sustainable solutions,鈥� said Clayton, who will continue his work at the Seminole County jail after graduation.

Thinking back over the past year, everything seems to be a whirlwind. The events of June 12, 2016 have changed my life, and my perspective on the world forever. It has also reinforced in my brain how much I want to be a police officer and how much of a passion I have for helping people. The tragic events that occurred have impacted Orlando鈥檚 community, your community, myself and how I identify with the world, affecting countries throughout the world. It has impacted how people view one another, the value of life and, for myself, has opened up to me the pain and heartbreak that one person can administer.

I come from a small hamlet in the UK, a place no one has ever heard of. It holds a post box and has a population of about 15 people. I have lived there for fifteen years and I think within that time, the police have visited once and that still seems to be the village gossip despite having occurred about ten years ago. My family are farmers, having farmed land for generations, and, in total, have moved about 20 miles in the last two centuries, with this current generation being the first to go to a university. I don鈥檛 know why, but something in me has always had a passion for helping those in need and since the age of five, I have wanted to be a police officer (before that, I wanted to be a fire fighter). I have always wanted to explore more, do more and see what the world may offer to me and, with these aspirations, I went to a university, enthusiastic for the future, eager for the opportunities that may be provided to me and excited for where my future was going to head.

I first heard of the trip to Florida and 麻豆原创 when I was looking at universities and it was one of the main reasons that I chose the University of Gloucestershire; the trip looked amazing and I knew instantly it was something I would like to participate in. Like how cool would it be to explore another country, completely immersing myself in their culture not only looking at the tourist areas of Florida or the parts that most others who travel there see, but delving into the hardships of living in a tourist location, considering Florida鈥檚 crime and how as an international community which is continuously changing, one identifies with society.

The trip was incredibly popular, with many people applying to participate and I was nervous that I wouldn鈥檛 be one of the 18 people that the trip would accommodate for. However, I was accepted and, as soon as I found this out, began counting down the days until June 3, 2016 when we would travel. We flew to Florida, animated for what the trip would hold for us and looking forward to getting away from the endless downpour of rain in England.

The first couple of days flew past in an absolute blur; I was having the time of my life and had absolutely fallen in love with Florida, its people and its culture. Everyone was so welcoming and, after the first seven days, I had never felt more at home or comfortable. We had our disagreements (especially considering American gun culture and the use of armed police; the idea of it was so foreign to me that it blew my mind) but apart from that, everything was going swimmingly. However, the part of the trip that I was most excited about was the ride along we were going on with the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office Reserves Unit.

To start the ride along, we were driven to one of the police headquarters where we were assigned our officers. The evening I had been waiting for had arrived. I was assigned to officer Jay Rosario. We went off together, laughing and joking, excited for what the night might hold for us. I was nervous about the trip but Jay put me instantly at ease.

The night was quiet; we didn鈥檛 attend many incidents but it was so interesting learning about the job. I asked question after question, never shutting up, always wanting to know more and more. I was so inquisitive about the role of the job, asking all those annoying theory questions from points that I have learnt from my time at university.

We were on our way back to the hotel when a suspected burglary call came through and Jay took it. As we were on our way to the burglary, another call got placed out: a code 43, an active shooting. We were placed on this call, with all officers being required on scene. Jay turned the car around and sped off as more and more information was being relayed over the radio. The closer we got, the more I realized how big this was. Adrenaline was racing through my body and my palms were sweating as I tried to take everything in.

At one junction, Jay stopped the car and ran to the boot (trunk) and got out a large gun, and placed it in-between us. We traveled the rest of the way in silence, barely speaking two words to each other, deep in thought of what was going to happen and intently listening to the radio to try and work out what was occurring. We arrived at the scene and the sight was like no other I have ever seen before and one I never would want to see again. The road was full of police cars, red and blue canvassing the landscape for as far as the eye could see, flashing in a continuous cycle.

We pulled up to the scene and both got out of the car, both constantly vigilant, taking in all the sights and smells around us. Crouched behind a car, we tried to find out what was going on, asking other officers, guns drawn and at a heightened sense of awareness. I ended up talking to some of those who were injured and all fear and trepidation left me leaving me with one sole target; to help those that were in need to the best of my ability.

Reflecting on the following events that occurred, I don鈥檛 remember feeling anything but an overwhelming sense of need to help, which I think blocked out all other emotions. Like everyone else who was there, police officers and victims included, we did what needed to be done, not thinking of the consequences, but making sure we helped to the best of our ability. Back in the UK, I often get compared to a hero but I don鈥檛 see myself as that; I am just an average 21-year-old at the university who just happened to be on an exchange trip.

Before I came to Florida, I had a very negative view on American cop gun culture. I believed that it was unnecessary and that by getting rid of guns it would solve so many issues within society. I thought I knew better, comparing American culture to the UK’s, many of my lectures having been on the negative implications of armed police and the detrimental effects it can have upon the accountability and community trust within the force. I was adamant that the British way of policing was so much better. However, what I never counted on was the culture in America. I never thought of your constitution and what it meant to you, why you had guns and why armed police is so necessary. At home, we have one armed response unit for both Devon and Cornwall and if called, they could take up to 4 hours to get to an incident. The reaction speed of the police, their readiness to risk their lives and the overall commitment to their jobs is like nothing I have seen before. If they didn’t have guns, I dread to think of what the consequences would have been. I get it. I take my hat off to those officers who go out and protect your culture, lives and society and I find those efforts inspirational.

I learned many lessons during my time in Orlando and I think of the events and your people daily. The strength and resilience of the Floridian people has taught me how precious life is and how you should value the life you are provided with, living it to its fullest. The lives that were taken on June 12 are an incredible loss to society but I believe strongly that they live on through us, in our thoughts, our actions and how we treat others. Thoughts of Pulse plague me daily and draw out negative thoughts in myself causing me to doubt humanity and with mass shootings, murders and terrorist鈥檚 attacks becoming a daily topic of news stations and media outlets, it would be easy to let one become filled with hate. However, out of the darkness comes light and by looking at how a community comes together to become stronger, it proves to me that goodness will overrule hate leaving me with a glimmer of hope during my darker days.

For her assistance and bravery in helping others that night, Williamson received a Medal of Merit from the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, presented by Reserve Chief Deputy and College of Health and Public Affairs Associate Dean Ross Wolf, last month in England. For his bravery during the tragedy, Rosario was awarded a Medal of Valor at the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 Office from Sheriff Jerry L. Demings.

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Kaukinen comes to 麻豆原创 from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, where she was a highly accomplished researcher and scholar with interests in intimate partner violence, family violence, violence against women and campus violence. This spring she received UCCS鈥檚 2015 Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, and last fall she was inducted into the university鈥檚 Million Dollar Club for receiving more than $1 million in sponsored program awards.

Most recently, Kaukinen secured a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice鈥檚 Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to develop and coordinate campus resources, services and programs to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. This was her second award from the OVW to support violence prevention, outreach and awareness. In addition, she has received multiple grants from the National Institute of Justice, the Canadian Embassy, and the Colorado Department of Corrections and Adult Parole.

Kaukinen is also an experienced campus leader, having served as the president of UCCS鈥檚 Faculty Assembly and co-chair of the Faculty Council for the University of Colorado System. For eight years she served as director of UCCS鈥檚 master鈥檚 degree program in criminal justice, and for four years she was the director of the bachelor鈥檚 degree program in criminal justice.

In addition to her roles at UCCS, Kaukinen has held faculty positions at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. She holds a doctorate in sociology from The University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.

Kaukinen听has served as an expert witness for the Attorney General of Canada and the Canadian Justice Department in a Supreme Court case. Recently, she received a contract to complete a book on the prevention of violence against women on college campuses.

At 麻豆原创 Kaukinen is leading a department with 31 faculty members, more than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and a new Doctoral Program in Criminal Justice launched this fall.

鈥淒r. Kaukinen is an extraordinary scholar with much to offer the department, college and university,鈥� said college Dean Michael Frumkin. 鈥淗er vision for our criminal justice programs will help shape the department鈥檚 goals and enhance its visibility across the profession.鈥�