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New mental health tool expedites patient evaluation

Alex Kigerl
Alex Kigerl

WSU researchers have developed a new assessment tool to gauge the risk that someone with a mental illness will commit a crime. It could also speed up long-delayed competency evaluations for people awaiting trial.

The assessment provides a small but notable improvement over the current evaluation system, said Alex Kigerl, an assistant research professor in the WSU Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. » More …

10 Things You Need To Know About Washington’s Innovative Parole Program

Hamilton and van Wormer
Hamilton, left, and van Wormer

Handling parole violations fairly and predictably is hard.

For example, a violation could be a missed check-in or a failed drug test. Depending on the parole officer’s prerogative, it might be the first missed check-in, the fourth or even sixth that triggers an official sanction. Once in front of a judge, the punishment may be disproportionate to the minor infraction, if the judge hands down a sanction at all. To say the least, it’s a subjective and uncertain process for all parties involved. » More …

Woman seeks to open transitional home for rehabilitating ex-inmates

Zachary Hamilton
Zachary Hamilton

Dorothy Owsley spent years visiting jails and prisons to help inmates figure out their plans for re-entry into the community, and she frequently heard the same story.

“I heard a lot of ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t have anywhere to go. Where I lived before got me in trouble in the first place,’ ” said Owsley, 62.

That’s why Owsley said transitional homes play an important role in breaking a cycle that can end with those inmates back behind bars. She’s planning to turn a brick house in Roanoke, Va., into a transitional home for about eight area women released from jail or prison.

Zachary Hamilton, an assistant professor of criminal justice and criminology and an expert in offender re-entry and rehabilitation, said research is mixed regarding the effectiveness of transitional facilities. He said that places focusing on a specific goal, such as addiction recovery or employment, tend to show more positive results. His own research has shown that a structured environment coupled with parole conditions results in fewer parole violations.

More about the planned home and Hamilton’s research

Research to help reduce criminal re-offense rates

Zachary Hamilton
Zachary Hamilton

Increasing public safety and controlling costs are among the benefits of three related research projects led by Zachary Hamilton, assistant professor of criminal justice at WSU Spokane.

With funding from the state Department of Corrections and the state Institute for Public Policy, Hamilton is helping officials predict criminal re-offense and determine the effectiveness of treatment programs. The projects are intended to enhance the state’s system for classifying and treating felony offenders and others who potentially pose a threat to society.
Learn more about this criminology research.