Corrections Community

Chris and Marcus recap the second season of the podcast. 

Jeff Wood is the Undersheriff at Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). He has implemented several programs within Community Corrections as a Division Commander for MCSO and has served as president of the Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors. Jeff sat down with Chris and Marcus in Salem, Oregon to discuss the intersection of community corrections and law enforcement as well as the relationship between public trust and public safety. 

Matt Leech is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and assists the Oregon Department of Public Safety, Standards, and Training (DPSST) with its defensive tactics program. In this episode, Matt talks to Chris and Marcus about his philosophy on coaching and how the best path may not always be the easiest.

Pat Schreiner is a consultant and former community justice manager who has dedicated a large part of his career to improving the use of evidence-based practices in community corrections. Pat shares some of the stories and lessons he’s learned over the years as a leader and how he has tried to help others navigate the turbulence of change.

Chris Chandler is a Community Corrections Supervisor and Marcus Ford is a former Probation Officer who now works in an office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement. In this episode, the two hosts tell their stories of how they entered the field of corrections and discuss the value of sharing their “whole self” with others. The two reflect on pivotal moments of their career and what made them who they are today.

Dr. Cara Thompson is an independent consultant with a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati who has worked side by side with corrections professionals all over the country. In this episode, she joins Chris and Marcus to provide an overview of some of the fundamental research in the field and helps us understand what the term evidence-based really means.

Katie Gotch joins Chris and Marcus to discuss research, policy, and the tools that help us reduce sexual recidivism. Katie brings a scientific and public health view to this issue, and we discuss the treatment of those who commit what many perceive to be the worst crimes in our society. 

Jeff Hanson has worked inside institutions and on the community side of Oregon corrections. While his job title describes him as an Operations and Policy Analyst, he spends much of his time organizing and facilitating training around the state to bolster our use of evidence-based practices. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Chris and Marcus to share his observations on the growth of our field over the past several decades, and his thoughts on how we can continue to evolve. 

James Demry joins Chris and Marcus in the season 2 premiere of Corrections Community to discuss the value of peer mentoring and his philosophy on how change can happen. James shares a deeply personal story about his own struggle, from joining a gang and facing a prison sentence before his 18th birthday, to meeting the people that helped him turn his life around and the work he does today to help others on the same path. 

In the season finale, Chris and Marcus recap the first season of Corrections Community and reflect on the journey so far. We discuss the improvements we've made, the challenges that remain, and what you can expect in season 2. We also reveal the mission of the podcast and why it matters. 

Dean Alft has over a decade of experience in community corrections. He holds several instructor titles, facilitating basic academy courses as well as regional and local training for his agency.

Dean joins us to discuss his experience as a training officer and shares some powerful stories about not just what it takes to be successful as a new employee, but the importance of achieving healthy balance throughout your career.

Tira Hubbard joins us to share her experience working with justice-involved women as a Parole and Probation Officer and Program Manager with over a decade of experience in community corrections and victim advocacy. Tira was one of the first Women's Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) trainers in the state of Oregon and was instrumental in the development of the Family Sentencing Alternative Pilot (FSAP), a program designed to divert adults and their dependants from state custody. She is extremely passionate about expanding the adoption of gender-responsive caseloads and improving organizational responses to trauma in both corrections clients and officers. 

Chris and Marcus answer questions from listeners outside of Corrections who want to know more about the field. The hosts take the opportunity to share more about themselves and what worked for them as parole and probation officers. 

Kim Fulton is a Community Corrections Supervisor who has had success in 3 different agencies over the span of 20+ years. She is passionate about mentorship, leading with authenticity and emotional intelligence. 

We caught up with Kim to learn more about her efforts to overhaul traditional training models in a community corrections environment and identify  core competencies for Parole and Probation Officers in her home agency. Kim also shared how her work as an instructor at the basic academy became a transformative experience. 

Chris and Marcus catch up with Danielle Taylor, a specialized Probation Officer and peer support program coordinator, to better understand the topic of resiliency. 

Chris and Marcus sit down with Jon Hansen from the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) to discuss his experience starting out as an institution counselor, becoming a policy and program analyst, and his current role in the community corrections division of DOC.

We reference the study Street-Level Decision Making: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Use of Evidence-Based Practices in Adult Probation (2017) by Jill Viglione from the University of Central Florida. The study raises several issues with the implementation of evidence-based practices in corrections, and we question whether problems with implementation are unique to the criminal justice system.