Mara Schiff

Predicting Graduation from Broward County’s Dedicated Drug Treatment Court

This research examines outcomes among first-year participants in the dedicated drug treatment court in Broward County, Florida, from July 1, 1991, through June 30, 1992. Participant data are used to predict the likelihood of successful program graduation. This research is designed to help understand the differences between participants who fail to graduate versus those who successfully complete the drug court treatment program. Independent variables are derived from interview questionnaires soliciting personal demographic, behavioral, and drug use history information. Logistic regression analysis is used to identify significant predictors. The research finds that demographic characteristics, such as race and education, as well as crack use, are the most useful defendant characteristics for predicting program graduation. The implications of these findings for public policy decision makers are discussed.

Teaching restorative justice: developing a restorative andragogy for face-to-face, online and hybrid course modalities

Teaching restorative justice in an academic setting is different from teaching almost any other academic course. Courses taught in the context of academic criminal justice programs tend to reinforce the structural inequalities in society, replicated and reinforced by instructor driven classroom experiences. In contrast, effective teaching of restorative justice should emulate the values of principles of restorative justice in the organization and management of the course. Teachers of restorative justice must ‘walk the talk’ and apply restorative principles and values to the design and delivery of the course itself. A conceptual framework for ‘restorative andragogy’ is developed that blends principles and values of adult learning with those of restorative justice. Four principles of this approach are identified and applied across three instructional modalities – face-to-face, online only, and hybrid courses. This approach provides a theoretically grounded model for effective teaching of restorative justice courses.

Can restorative justice disrupt the ‘school-to-prison pipeline?’

Abstract The ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ now commonly refers to the impact of zero tolerance and other harsh exclusionary discipline policies on school suspensions and expulsions, especially felt among minority students of color in the United States. Abundant evidence now concludes that such students are suspended, expelled, disciplinarily referred and arrested at rates far exceeding either their representation in the population or that of their white peers. Restorative justice practices have emerged as an increasingly popular response to racial disparity in school discipline, supported by research, state and federal governmental initiatives. However, the capacity of restorative justice to limit the school-to-prison pipeline may remain unfulfilled unless it can disrupt current social-organizational structures that maintain racial inequity in institutional structures. This paper considers the effectiveness of restorative justice in schools as an alternative to overly punitive discipline policy and as a strategy for reducing racial disciplinary disparity. It then considers organizational and cultural impediments to implementing restorative justice to overcome racial disciplinary inequity for school-based youth and asserts that restorative justice must strive for more than incremental change inside existing systems.

The Impact of Job Expectations, Workload, and Autonomy on Work-Related Stress Among Prison Wardens in the United States:

Prison wardens manage both external pressures and internal challenges that affect work-related stress. Using data from a national survey of prison wardens, we examined the impact of conflicting job expectations, workload, and job autonomy on work-related stress among prison wardens. The ordered logistic regression results showed a significant and positive relationship between conflicting job expectations and work-related stress. The results also showed a significant and positive relationship between unmanageable workloads and stress on the job. We found a negative and significant relationship between job autonomy and work-related stress, though the relationship was relatively weak. The importance of this study lies in its ability to help isolate factors that affect job stress among prison wardens, which in turn may produce better organizational support, management, and human resources policy to improve conditions for prison wardens, staff, and inmates.

Job Satisfaction and Work-Related Stress: Results From a National Survey of Prison Wardens

The job of prison warden encompasses numerous external pressures and internal challenges, along with commensurately high performance expectations, the cumulative impact of which may be reflected in the job satisfaction and work-related stress of incumbents. Using data gathered from a national survey of prison wardens, we examine the impact of work-related stress, depersonalization, and the authority to carry out responsibilities on job satisfaction levels of prison wardens across the nation.