WSU Faculty Members to Participate in Seattle Criminal Justice Conference

Faculty members from the Criminal Justice Program at Washington State University will be among the presenters at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference to be held at the Seattle Sheraton and Towers from March 13-17. The academy is an international association established in 1963 to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. It promotes criminal justice education, research and policy analysis.

For details of the upcoming conference, including schedule of events, featured panels and other information, see https://www.acjs.org/pubs/167_668_2915.cfm

The WSU Criminal Justice Program is among the oldest in the country and is ranked in the top 20 criminal justice programs nationally. WSU faculty members are involved in research relevant to today’s most pressing and controversial issues related to crime and justice; they can provide information about the challenges, innovations and issues facing criminal justice agencies as they work to promote safe communities throughout our state and region.  WSU faculty members and doctoral students listed here may be reached at 509/335-2544 or at their email addresses listed below.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Preparing for natural disasters and terrorist attacks: Does community-oriented policing matter in our response to tragedy?
Researchers at WSU have undertaken a unique project in conjunction with the Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety and the Gulf States Regional Center for Public Safety Innovation.  Project leaders have examined the role of social capital and community-oriented policing in forming “resilient communities” that are more capable of preparing for and responding to natural disasters.  These experts can provide insights into how informal networks between government and citizens can respond to large disasters created by nature or terrorism.

Kelsey Gray, WSU Spokane, grayk@wsu.edu
Michael Gaffney, WSU Pullman, associate director of Division of Governmental Studies and Services, gaffney@wsunixwsu.edu
Michael Erp, WSU Spokane, director, Washington State Institute for Community Oriented Policing, erpmj@wsu.edu

Conflict and consensus at the borders: How does Mexico-USA-Canada border management affect international and regional security?
Border security has become increasingly important in relationship to immigration, crime, terrorism, and commerce.  The ability of U.S., Mexican and Canadian law enforcement to penetrate and control transnational criminal networks is hampered by the absence of strong diplomatic and working relationships between intelligence agencies and other government institutions.  These experts can give insight to the challenges facing the United States in addressing issues of crime, terrorism and immigration as they relate to security in Washington State.

Otwin Marenin, WSU Pullman, professor, criminal justice, otwin@wsu.edu
Martha Cottam, WSU Pullman, professor, political science, cottam@wsu.edu
Martin Garcia, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, political science,  nmeraz@wsu.edu
Denise Mowder, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice, denise042004@yahoo.com

What about those sleepy cops?
WSU is a leader in exploring what happens to first responders when they are called upon to work long hours in response to an emergency or workforce shortage.  A lack of sleep can lead to slowed reaction times and influence decision making.  Our communities often ask police, fire and other emergency service personnel to make life-and-death decisions during high stress periods with little rest.  WSU experts will give insight to how this scenario can lead to injury and death.

Bryan Vila, WSU Spokane, professor, criminal justice, vila@wsu.edu

PUBLIC SAFETY: JUSTICE INNOVATIONS AND CHANGE

Racial profiling: How does race affect policing practice?
The Washington State law enforcement community is a leader in pro-actively identifying racial profiling as an important issue.  The Washington State Patrol, for instance, is among the first agencies nationally to voluntarily engage in the longitudinal study of the relationship of race/ethnicity and police officer decisions during vehicle stops.   WSU experts can give insight about what policy may be developed to effectively eliminate racial profiling in police practice.

Travis Pratt, WSU Pullman, director, criminal justice program, tcpratt@wsu.edu
Clayton Mosher, WSU Vancouver, associate professor sociology, mosher@wsu.edu
Mitchell Pickerill, WSU Pullman, associate professor political science, mitchp@wsu.edu
Michael Gaffney, WSU-Pullman, associate director, Division of Governmental Studies and Services, gaffney@wsunixwsu.edu

Is community-oriented policing dead?
Washington State University in partnership with the Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety has conducted extensive research on community-oriented policing within the Pacific and Inland Northwest.  WSU experts can elaborate upon the dynamic findings related to the complex political, social, and institutional relevance of COP to our communities and to public safety.

Nicholas Lovrich, WSU Pullman/Spokane, director of Division of Governmental Studies and Services, faclovri@wsu.edu
Michael Erp, WSU Spokane, director, Washington State Institute for Community Oriented Policing, erpmj@wsu.edu
John Goldman, WSU Spokane, Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety
Bryan Vila, WSU Spokane, professor, crim
inal justice, vila@wsu.edu

Treating the complex needs of drug addicted offenders: Do drug courts work?
Adult and juvenile drug courts promise to assist drug and alcohol dependent offenders to achieve sobriety in order to improve their opportunity to live pro-social and crime free lifestyles.  WSU experts can discuss how and when drug courts are most likely to be effective and what policy makers need to do to assure their continued success.

Jeff Bouffard, WSU Pullman, associate professor, criminal justice, jbouffard@wsu.edu
Faith Lutze, WSU Pullman, associate professor, criminal justice, lutze@wsu.edu
Laurie Drapela, WSU Vancouver, assistant professor, criminal justice, drapela@wsu.edu
Jacque van Wormer, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice

What influences the decisions of prosecutors and court personnel in criminal cases?
Scholars at WSU have completed extensive research on courts and their decision makers.  Recent research identifies how community-level factors affect the decisions made by prosecutors when prosecuting murder cases and when prosecuting women offenders, as well as other unique populations.  Additional research explores how contested judicial elections affect the administration of justice.  WSU experts can also lend insight to other important court issues such as jury selection, specialized courts, lawyer’s decision making, and policy issues related to Washington State courts.

David Brody, WSU Spokane, associate professor, criminal justice, brody@wsu.edu
Noelle Fearn, WSU Pullman, assistant professor, criminal justice, nfearn@wsu.edu
Cortney Franklin, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice, cortneyannbell@hotmail.com
Travis Franklin, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice, travisf@wsu.edu

Do prison or treatment programs work in response to criminal offenders?
WSU scholars have studied the effects of innovative programs on both corrections professional and offenders.  WSU experts can give insight on issues related to prison privatization, prisoner re-entry, therapeutic communities, the causes of offending, prison crowding and other relevant issues.

Jeff Bouffard, WSU Pullman, assistant professor, criminal justice, jbouffard@wsu.edu
Laurie Drapela, WSU Vancouver, assistant professor, criminal justice, drapela@wsu.edu
Noelle Fearn, WSU Pullman, assistant professor, criminal justice, nfearn@wsu.edu
Faith Lutze, WSU Pullman, associate professor, criminal justice, lutze@wsu.edu
Travis Pratt, WSU Pullman, director, Criminal Justice Program, tcpratt@wsu.edu
Jeff Rosky, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice, jrosky@wsu.edu
Kevin Wright, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice

Does the criminal justice system treat women and men differently?  Is it possible for the system to be sexist toward men?
WSU scholars have studied issues related to sexual violence against women and the effects of criminal justice policy on women and their well-being.  Also, WSU experts have argued that much of our criminal justice system is extremely harsh on men and potentially ineffective in treating men if the goal of our prisons is to reduce violence and the future victimization of others. WSU experts can give insight about how our prisons are “gendered” and how policy may be developed to improve outcomes.

Leana Bouffard, WSU Pullman, assistant professor, criminal justice, lbouffard@wsu.edu
Faith Lutze, WSU Pullman, associate professor, criminal justice, lutze@wsu.edu
Cortney Franklin, WSU Pullman, doctoral candidate, criminal justice, cortneyannbell@hotmail.com

Why are so few judicial elections contested?
The Washington constitution provides that judges are selected through non-partisan elections.  In reality, over 80 percent of judicial elections in Washington are uncontested because few attorneys are willing to challenge a sitting judge.  David Brody, associate professor and academic director of the Criminal Justice Program, has surveyed more than 5,000 members of the Washington State Bar focusing on impediments (real and perceived) that inhibit attorneys’ willingness to run for judicial office. The paper analyzes the results of the survey, focusing on perceived obstacles to being a candidate and actual negative consequences experienced by attorneys who have run in a judicial election.  It is hoped that the results will help shape policy changes that make it more feasible for attorneys to seek the bench.