Review shows program for offenders with mental health or addiction issues produces positive results

Posted on November 29, 2017 by rcschnei

A review of a state program launched two years ago to improve recovery and reduce recidivism among felony offenders who have mental health or addiction issues shows the program is producing positive results.

“There are a lot of individuals in the criminal justice system who have a mental health or substance-abuse problem who are now getting the additional services they need,” said Brad Ray, co-author of the review. Ray is an assistant professor in the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI and director of the Center for Criminal Justice Research.

The Center for Criminal Justice Research, part of the IU Public Policy Institute, conducted the review of Recovery Works for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction, which manages Recovery Works. (more…)

SPEA’s Justice and Pre-Law Community gives first-year students resources to succeed

Posted on November 15, 2017 by O'Neill at IUPUI

When Edward Hansen arrived at IUPUI in the fall of 2013, he knew he wanted to get the most out of his first year of college. For him, signing up to live in SPEA’s Justice and Pre-Law Wing was a no-brainer.

“It was a lot easier to meet friends when you not only have them as your neighbors but they’re in your class and so I developed relationships a lot faster than just living in a random living community,” said Hansen, who will graduate with a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Public Safety in May 2018 as part of SPEA’s accelerated master’s program.

“You will develop relationships, but if you’re in the SPEA wing, you’re going to develop friendships much faster with other students who share your common interests.”

SPEA’s Justice and Pre-Law (JPL) Wing is a co-ed learning community located in University Tower and offers double and triple rooms for first-year students interested in social justice and pre-law topics such as the legal system, law enforcement, homeland security, and socioeconomics. The JPL wing is one of 12 residential-based learning communities on campus. (more…)

Study identifies additional hurdle to widespread planting of bioenergy crops

Posted on November 2, 2017 by rcschnei

Jerome Dumortier, switchgrass — SPEA researcher Jerome Dumortier says bioenergy crops like switchgrass are less likely to be produced in the Midwest.

A study examining how certain decisions impact what farmers plant and harvest identified one crucial factor that researchers believe needs to be added to the list of decision variables when considering bioenergy crops: the option value.

Most studies have not examined the role of the option value, which has to do with farmers waiting to see how bioenergy crop prices will change in the future, said Jerome Dumortier, an associate professor in the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI and a co-author of the study.

The study, “Production and spatial distribution of switchgrass and miscanthus in the United States under uncertainty and sunk cost,” was published in the journal Energy Economics and is one of the first to consider adding the option value to the list of barriers to widespread planting of bioenergy crops. It also shows the spatial distribution of potential bioenergy crops in the U.S. when considering the option value. (more…)

PPI to celebrate 25 years of serving Hoosiers with special daylong symposium and celebration

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Michael L. Jackson

Retired Indiana Chief Justice Randall Shepard

The Indiana University Public Policy Institute is holding a special symposium and reception to celebrate 25 years of helping decisionmakers across the state effect change and a better quality of life for Hoosiers.

Since 1992, PPI has served as a non-ideological research organization and neutral voice that helps political and community leaders understand the long-term effects of policy decisions. Providing services to nearly 200 organizations and agencies in government, and the nonprofit and private sectors, PPI and its centers have demonstrated that academic research can significantly improve state and local policy, and become a crucial statewide resource for community service, research, and analysis.

The one-day workshop and celebration will take place in Hine Hall on the IUPUI campus on Nov. 14. (more…)

IUPUI researchers are developing and testing a system to predict crime and other social harms

Posted on October 12, 2017 by rcschnei

An IUPUI graduate student and three IUPUI researchers discuss the project. From left: Saurabh Pandey, Jeremy Carter, George Mohler and Rajeev Raje. Photo by Liz Kaye, IU Communications

Police forces and city governments around the world — burdened by competing demands and limited resources — must make hard, critical decisions every day about how best to deal with crime, drug use, traffic crashes, medical emergencies and more.

IUPUI researchers have received a grant to provide help. Through a three-year, $791,513 grant from the Smart and Connected Communities program of the National Science Foundation, the researchers are developing a system that can predict where and when these and other social harm events are likely to occur.

George Mohler and Rajeev Raje of the School of Science at IUPUI, collaborating with Jeremy Carter, director of criminal justice in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI, will devise algorithms and a software system to collect and analyze data, enabling stakeholders to make dynamic predictions of social harm incidents. Such analyses will empower stakeholders to make informed decisions about how to allocate limited resources to maintain and improve the quality of life in the communities they serve. (more…)