Why Social Science? - Because Education and Research are Essential for Solving Crime and Justice Problems
Nov 30, 2021
By Heather Pfeifer, PhD, President, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and John Worrall, PhD, Executive Director, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Police agencies across America are in the hot seat. Frontline officers’ every move is scrutinized, and anything that resembles excessive force is…News Topics: Criminal JusticeWhy Social Science?
Education project to help improve data on drug overdose deaths
Sep 27, 2021
A new Penn State-led project is educating coroners, medical examiners, and others in the death certifier community in Pennsylvania about the reporting of substances associated with accidental overdose. The project, known as the Death Certifier Education Project, is a collaborative effort with the…
Impacts of the coronavirus on student athlete substance abuse
Nov 5, 2020
College is a well-known risk environment for problematic alcohol use and substance abuse. In this post, Katherine McLean, associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Greater Allegheny, outlines why student athletes may be at particular risk for higher levels of alcohol consumption and…
Why Social Science? Because It Can Teach Police Nonviolence and How to Work with Local Residents
Jun 30, 2020
By Kirssa Cline Ryckman, Jennifer Earl, Jessica Maves Braithwaite, University of Arizona Police have a saying, “better to be judged by 12 than carried by six,” acknowledging they might face a jury if they use excessive force, but it’s preferable to being killed in the line of duty. Many police …
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the Criminal Justice System
May 11, 2020
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the criminal justice system (CJS), focusing on its efforts to contain the spread of the virus through the three core components of the CJS — courts, corrections, and policing — as well as opportunities…
New podcast bridges the gap between academia and policymakers
Mar 20, 2020
How can academia and government work together to tackle problems? That’s the question that a new podcast launched by the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative, a unit of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute, is trying to answer. The podcast, aptly titled the “Evidence-to-Impact Podcast,” …
Collaborative Community Service Conference offers opiate addiction resources
Oct 23, 2019
Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Schuylkill collaborated to present “Opioids: The Crisis Next Door,” a free conference held on campus Sept. 19 that detailed the facts and signs of addiction, as well as the resources available to help community members affected by the epidemic. The…
Resources to combat opioid epidemic available through new WPSU project
Sep 18, 2019
Trisha Stouch lost her daughter Pamela to a drug overdose almost 10 years ago, but Stouch remembers like yesterday the moment she realized her daughter’s need for opioids had taken over her life. A stay-at-home mom, frequent chaperone on school trips and softball coach, Stouch was an involved…
Criminal justice professor presents research on police views of addiction
Jun 20, 2019
Police officers who are repeatedly called to the scene of opioid overdose incidents may be at risk for “empathy fatigue,” according to a Penn State researcher who said additional training may be helpful in preventing emotional burnout. Jennifer Murphy, associate professor and program coordinator…
Collaboration brings 'Opioids: The Crisis Next Door' conference to Schuylkill
May 23, 2019
Penn State Schuylkill and Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill, part of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, are teaming up to present the 2019 Wellness Conference, titled "Opioids: The Crisis Next Door." The conference will address the facts about the disease of addiction, the signs of opioid abuse,…
Share Your Opioid Story: A Community Conversation at Schlow Library on May 30
May 15, 2019
The Share Your Opioid Story initiative is hosting a Community Conversation at the Schlow Centre Region Library in State College to tell the stories behind the statistics of the opioid crisis. This community event will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 30 in the Downsbrough Community Room. To…
Understanding opioid users' views on fentanyl could help reduce overdoses
Apr 23, 2019
Opioid users fear accidental overdoses from street drugs laced with fentanyl, but unpredictable drug quality means they often lack reliable strategies to avoid it, according to a team of researchers who suggest that fentanyl test strips may reduce overdose deaths. "The opioid crisis is one of the…
Sterner awarded $2.7M to help fight opioid crisis
Feb 3, 2019
A Penn State Abington faculty member was instrumental in securing three grants totaling more than $2.7 million to combat the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Abington and an expert on the illicit use of opioids, said the…
Center changes name to Criminal Justice Research Center
Sep 24, 2018
The former Penn State Justice Center for Research kicked off the fall semester by changing its name to the Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC). “We are excited about the center’s name change as it more clearly summarizes our focus on criminal justice research and is well-timed to coincide with…News Topics: Criminal Justice Research CenterCriminal Justice