Showing papers by "Francis T. Cullen published in 2014"

Liberal but Not Stupid: Meeting the Promise of Downsizing Prisons

Abstract: A confluence of factors — a perfect storm — interfered with the intractable rise of imprisonment and contributed to the emergence of a new sensibility defining continued mass imprisonment as non-sustainable. In this context, reducing America’s prisons has materialized as a viable possibility. For progressives who have long called for restraint in the use of incarceration, the challenge is whether the promise of downsizing can be met. The failure of past reforms aimed at decarceration stand as a sobering reminder that good intentions do not easily translate into good results. Further, a number of other reasons exist for why meaningful downsizing might well fail (e.g., the enormous scale of imprisonment that must be confronted, limited mechanisms available to release inmates, lack of quality alternative programs). Still, reasons also exist for optimism, the most important of which is the waning legitimacy of the paradigm of mass incarceration, which has produced efforts to lower inmate populations and close institutions in various states. The issue of downsizing will also remain at the forefront of correctional discourse because of the court-ordered reduction in imprisonment in California. This experiment is ongoing, but is revealing the difficulty of downsizing; the initiative appears to be producing mixed results (e.g., reductions in the state’s prison population but increased in local jail populations). In the end, successful downsizing must be “liberal but not stupid.” Thus, reform efforts must be guided not only by progressive values but also by a clear reliance on scientific knowledge about corrections and on a willingness to address the pragmatic issues that can thwart good intentions. Ultimately, a “criminology of downsizing” must be developed to foster effective policy interventions.

The American prison : imagining a different future

Abstract: Chapter 1. The Therapeutic Prison - Paula Smith and Myrinda Schweitzer Chapter 2. The Restorative Prison - Lois Presser Chapter 3. The Faith-Based Prison - Byron R. Johnson Chapter 4. The Virtuous Prison - Francis T. Cullen, Jody L. Sundt and John F. Wozniak Chapter 5. The Feminist Prison - Kristi Holsinger Chapter 6. The Racially Just Prison - Craig Hemmens and Mary K. Stohr Chapter 7. The Safe Prison - Benjamin Steiner and Benjamin Meade Chapter 8. The Healthy Prison - Roberto Hugh Potter and Jeffrey W. Rosky Chapter 9. The Private Prison - Kevin A. Wright Chapter 10. The Green Prison - Mary K. Stohr and John F. Wozniak Chapter 11. The Small Prison - Cheryl Lero Jonson, John E. Eck and Francis T. Cullen Chapter 12. The Accountable Prison - Francis T. Cullen, Cheryl Lero Jonson and John E. Eck Chapter 13. Lessons Learned - Mary K. Stohr, Cheryl Lero Jonson and Francis T. Cullen

Corporate Crime Under Attack : The Fight to Criminalize Business Violence

Abstract: In exploring the criminalization of corporations, this book uses the landmark "Ford Pinto case" as a centerpiece for exploring corporate violence and the long effort to bring such harm within the reach of the criminal law. Corporations that illegally endanger human life now must negotiate the surveillance of government regulators and risk civil suits from injured parties seeking financial compensation. They also may be charged with criminal offenses and their officials sent to prison.

Confronting the Collateral Consequences of a Criminal Conviction: A Special Challenge for Social Work With Offenders

Abstract: Millions of former offenders—often members of racial/ethnic minority or other disenfranchised groups—experience restrictions on their legal and civil rights as the collateral consequences of their criminal conviction. It is critical for the social workers and other human service professionals who frequently interface with this population to understand these collateral consequences to effectively serve their clients with criminal convictions. This exploratory study examined the impact these collateral consequences may have on social work practice with offenders. We assessed practitioners' awareness, knowledge, and experiences with the collateral consequences of clients' criminal convictions and practitioner efforts as “agents of restoration” to pursue statutorily available court-ordered expungements of their clients' criminal conviction records. Findings revealed that practitioners lacked awareness of collateral consequences, their application, and expungement. Recommendations to enhance social work practi...

How to Be a Successful Graduate Student

Abstract: Earning a PhD is an exciting but arduous process, marked by an attrition rate of about 50%. In this context, we provide advice—10 lessons—on how students can not only survive but also thrive in gra...