Pracademically Speaking The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast
-
- Government
Pracademically Speaking is a podcast intended to highlight research and innovations within the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC). Episodes include interviews with national experts and PA DOC staff members who are leading the way in cutting edge developments. A primary goal of the podcast is to bring together thought leaders (academics, practitioners, and policymakers) to stimulate further thinking about how to solve real world problems within the field of corrections.
Pracademically Speaking is produced by the PA DOC’s Bureau of Planning, Research & Statistics (PRS). The mission of PRS is to evaluate programs, policies, and practices, produce statistical reports, support data needs, clearly communicate research, and foster innovation, with excellence and objectivity, to advance agency goals through data-driven, scientifically informed decision-making. Their motto is “Pracademic Excellence!”
-
Episode 2: How Research and Statistics Are Used at PA DOC (Mr. Chris Oppman and Dr. Lucas Malishchak)
In this episode we talk with two key leaders at the PA DOC, Deputy Secretary Chris Oppman and Deputy Secretary Lucas Malishchak, about how the areas under their purview within the department use research and statistics to make better decisions.
-
Episode 1: Why Have a Research & Statistics Office in Corrections? (Dr. Bret Bucklen)
In this first episode of the re-launched podcast we talk with Dr. Bret Bucklen (PA DOC Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics) about what his office does and what value it brings to the department. We explore the importance of research and evaluation in corrections.
-
Innovations Around the Opioid Epidemic
In this episode, we talk to the PA DOC’s first ever winner of the Staff Innovations Award, Parole Agent Louis Zayon, about his lead in cleaning up a large open air drug market in Philadelphia. We also talk with Stanford University psychiatrist Keith Humphreys about what we know and don’t know on effective criminal justice … Continue reading "Innovations Around the Opioid Epidemic"
-
Understanding IADSS
In this episode, a team of Industrial Engineers from Lehigh University (now affiliated with a start-up company called Optamo) talk about the Inmate Assignment and Decision Support System (IADSS) that they built for PA DOC. This innovative system is the first of its kind in the country. We also talk with current and former staff … Continue reading "Understanding IADSS"
-
Pracademically Speaking: The Basics of BetaGov
Introducing a new series of Lockup Lowdown: Pracademically Speaking, a series hosted by Dr. Kristofer “Bret” Bucklen, DOC’s director of planning, research and statistics. Bucklen is also the agency’s lead for BetaGov. In this first episode, meet Angela Hawken, PhD, a professor at NYU and founding director of BetaGov. Later in the episode, Bureau of … Continue reading "Pracademically Speaking: The Basics of BetaGov"