Transformative Learning for Ethical Research Within the Criminal Legal and Health Fields

"Jails are ground zero for the opioid epidemic in the United States.  In our nation's jails we are seeing more mental health, physical health, and substance use disorders than we've seen before.  As an administrator of a treatment program at a jail, the LEAP Scholar program increased my capacity to conduct and review current, relevant treatment research to benefit my incarcerated patients. Beyond that, the LEAP Scholar program introduced me to a network of dedicated researchers and practitioners who are motivated to make serious improvements to help us achieve our public health and public safety goals. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the LEAP Scholar program and hope it is made available for future practitioners."

"JCOIN has been instrumental to my professional development. At the time I was completing my doctorate in social work and working full time in the field.  JCOIN’s practical information for collaborating in research in the corrections field augmented my doctoral education perfectly, in a way that would have been impossible otherwise, as none of the faculty at my school had expertise and experience with the legal system. Now as a program manager for an outpatient substance abuse treatment clinic that serves people who are justice-involved, I frequently refer to principles learned through JCOIN when making programming and procedural decisions.  COVID turned all our worlds upside down, so I haven’t yet had the chance to use the information from JCOIN for any formal projects, but I am confident that I will be ready to dive in when the opportunity arises. Thank you so much for offering this program!"