Join WestEd leaders at the 2023 American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, PA from November 15–18.
This year’s theme is “Seeking Justice: Reconciling with our Past, Reimagining the Future.” WestEd staff will participate in sessions on topics including
- behavioral threat assessment training and implementation in schools,
- centering the insights of youth who have lived experiences in the juvenile justice system,
- evaluations of State School Safety Centers (SSSCs),
- reducing recidivism through researcher and practitioner partnerships, and
- the effectiveness of WestEd’s Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI).
There will also be opportunities to connect with experts from WestEd’s Justice & Prevention Research Center (JPRC), Culturally Responsive & Equitable Systems, and Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities.
Check out the presentation details below.
Wednesday, November 15
Session: Behavioral Threat Assessment in Texas Schools—Implementation Experiences and Student Outcomes
Session Date: Wednesday, November 15
Session Time: 8:00 a.m.–9:20 a.m. (Eastern)
Place: Franklin Hall 10, 4th Floor
Session Chair: Alexis Stern (WestEd)
This panel provides a comprehensive review of a study examining the state mandated Texas-wide model of behavioral threat assessment training in high schools on student disciplinary and behavioral outcomes.
Presentations in this session include:
The Promise and Potential Pitfalls of Behavioral Threat Assessment in Texas Schools
Presenters & Authors: Trent Baskerville (WestEd)
WestEd’s JPRC, in partnership with the Texas State School Safety Center, investigates the effectiveness of behavioral threat assessment teams in K–12 schools. This paper presents findings from a NIJ-funded implementation study focused on efforts to scale Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) in Texas through a statewide training model. Findings from the 2021 and 2022 school year show how school campuses experience the training model, the process for adapting the training model to local contexts, and considerations for state and local education agencies considering the BTA model.
School Safety Reform and Student Experiences: A Statewide Study of Behavioral Threat Assessment in Texas
Presenters & Authors: Trevor Fronius (WestEd), Justine Zimiles (WestEd)
WestEd’s JPRC examines whether schools with high implementation of the BTA model reduce the use of exclusionary discipline compared to schools with low implementation using student administrative data collected by Texas Education Agency and a JPRC-administered survey about BTA training that categorized schools into high and low implementation groups. Benchmark analyses include a series of multilevel regression models, with additional terms to account for the nesting of students within schools. Results of the data analysis will examine the potential impact of BTA implementation on exclusionary discipline.
A Multi-Site Case Study to Unpack the Dynamic Nature of School Behavioral Threat Assessment
Presenters & Authors: Alexis Stern (WestEd), Sarah Guckenburg (WestEd)
This presentation summarizes the findings of a small group of school case studies conducted in the spring of 2023. Findings will complement previous descriptive analyses of survey and interview data, as well as statistical analyses of administrative data on student outcomes. Case studies will focus on documenting and exploring the systems, structures, activities, and other qualities characterizing BTA programs at the case study sites; implementation challenges encountered by the schools; approaches to communication, coordination, and collaboration by BTA teams; perceptions of the BTA model among BTA team members and school and district administrators; and approaches to sustaining established BTA programs. Data analysis from interviews will also summarize key themes and lessons learned.
Thursday, November 16
Session: Leveraging Causal Inference and Machine Learning Methods to Improve Criminal Justice Research
Session Date: Thursday, November 16
Session Time: 12:30 p.m.–1:50 p.m. (Eastern)
Place: Room 303, 3rd Floor
Session Chair: Owen Gallupe (University of Waterloo)
Presentations in this session include:
Improving Evidence on What Works: The Regression Discontinuity Design
Presenters & Authors: Alexis Grant (WestEd), Trent Baskerville (WestEd), Jonathan Nakamoto (WestEd), Anthony Petrosino (WestEd)
There is a need for more rigorous evaluations relevant to justice interventions that investigate whether specific interventions have a positive impact on recidivism, crime rates, and other outcomes. While a randomized control trial (RCT) is not always feasible, a regression discontinuity design (RDD) is a viable option under certain conditions to rigorously ascertain causal effects. This paper highlights RDD as a rigorous choice to answer causal questions relevant to justice. The paper describes RDD design components, compares RDD to RCT and other quasi-experimental approaches, highlights three effective examples of RDDs, and discusses the strengths and limitations of the RDD design.
Session: Poster Session I
Session Date: Thursday, November 16
Session Time: 6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Place: Grand Ballroom Salon F, 5th Floor
Presentations in this session include:
Centering Youth Voice and Lived Experience in Juvenile Justice Research
Presenters & Authors: Colleen M. Carter (WestEd), Alexis Stern (WestEd), Sarah Guckenburg (WestEd)
Young people with lived experience in the juvenile justice system are experts on how the system works, but they are rarely sought out for their perspectives on what juvenile justice research should look like and what goals studies should meet. This project shares the insights of a small sample of young people (ages 18–24) who have had personal experience with the juvenile justice system and with practitioners who work with young people. Interviewees share their thoughts on how to improve the system and how to engage young people and others with lived experience in that work. Participants’ recommendations extend to recruitment, data collection, and dissemination strategies.
Friday, November 17
Session: Exploring the Connection between Educational and Juvenile Justice Systems
Session Date: Friday, November 17
Session Time: 8:00 a.m.–9:20 a.m. (Eastern)
Place: Room 411, 4th Floor
Session Chair: Rimonda Maroun (Endicott College)
Presentations in this session include:
An Examination of the Perceived Effectiveness of State School Safety Centers
Presenters & Authors: Joseph M. McKenna, Ashley Boal (WestEd), Shawna White (WestEd), Hannah Sutherland (WestEd), Sarah Russo (WestEd), Ericka Muñoz (WestEd), Adrienne Washington (WestEd)
One response to address school safety has been to create State School Safety Centers (SSSCs) as centralized clearinghouses. As part of a larger NIJ-funded evaluation of SSSCs, this study examines the perceived effectiveness of current SSSCs from the perspective of invested parties, including state policymakers and representatives from state education, justice, and policing agencies. It also shares the findings from a survey of district superintendents and campus principals from states with an identified SSSC.
Session: Examining a Variety of Reentry Outcomes to Reduce Recidivism
Session Date: Friday, November 17
Session Time: 9:30 a.m.–10:50 a.m. (Eastern)
Place: Room 415, 4th Floor
Session Chair: Jessica M. Grosholz (University of South Florida)
Presentations in this session include:
Evaluation and Practitioner Partnership: Preliminary findings from Montgomery County, PA Family Services Second Chance Grant
Presenters & Authors: Sarah Guckenburg (WestEd), Sarah Russo (WestEd), Hannah Sutherland (WestEd), Alissa McBride (Family Services), Michael Lees (Family Services)
The WestEd JPRC is the evaluation partner for Family Services of Montgomery County, PA’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funded Second Chance Act Community-Based Reentry Grant. The goal of this project is to reduce recidivism by ensuring that currently incarcerated people experiencing behavioral health issues receive timely and responsive services pre- and post-release. The JPRC is working collaboratively with Family Services and the Montgomery County Reentry Initiative to engage in evaluation planning, consult on data collection, and conduct a summative evaluation to examine recidivism and related outcomes for program participants. This presentation will focus on (a) the importance of a researcher and practitioner partnership to inform data collection, (b) interpreting preliminary results, and (c) program implementation planning. The presentation will include preliminary data on program reach; participant experience and uptake of behavioral health and other services; preliminary outcomes on recidivism, employment, and housing; and lessons learned regarding pre-release services and connections to community providers.
Session: Advanced in Gun Violence Research: Prevention and Research Methodology
Session Date: Friday, November 17
Session Time: 3:30 p.m.–4:50 p.m. (Eastern)
Place: Room 409, 4th Floor
Session Chair: Logan Abagahle Wincott (Pennsylvania State University)
Presentations in this session include:
Twelve Years Later: What Does the Research Say about SSYI’s Effectiveness Reducing Gun Violence?
Presenters & Authors: Patricia Campie (American Institutes for Research), Trevor Fronius (WestEd), Nicholas Read (American Institutes for Research)
The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) is a statewide, multifaceted, community-based public health strategy leveraging police data to eliminate lethal and nonlethal violence among young people, 17–24 years of age, who have already committed, and have often been the victim of gun and gang violence (i.e., proven-risk youth). SSYI serves nearly 2,000 young people across the 14 Massachusetts sites and was recognized as a promising practice by the Department of Justice in 2019. This session will review the research evidence supporting the intervention, describe SSYI’s theory of change and critical components, and discuss the broader policy and practice context in which SSYI cities have found sustained success over the past decade.