Criminal Justice/Sociology Faculty News

Professors Jen Balboni and Rebecca Paynich led a training for the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, Training Academy, on "What works and what's promising in Criminal Justice" in the fall of 2011.  Approximately 80 probation officers from around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts participated in a lively discussion on the topic of innovative programming and promising strategies in the field of corrections. Dr.'s Balboni and Paynich encouraged discussion to problem solve around real issues facing probation officers.

Professor Paynich is widely published. The third edition of her book, "Law Enforcement in the United States" (with J. Conser and T. Gingerich) is forthcoming from Jones and Bartlett Publishers in 2011.  She is also the co-author of "Fundamentals of Crime Mapping" (with B. Hill), also through Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Dr. Paynich also recently presented, "Using Self-Assessment Instruments to Criminal Justice Students", "Sexual Harassment in Law Enforcement: Incidence, Impact, and Perception", and "College and Cops: Assessing the Impact of a College Educated Police Force" at the Western Society of Criminology's annual meeting in 2010.

Professor Balboni was also selected to received 2011 Emerging Scholar Award from the NEACJS (New England Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences). Balboni will receive her award at the annual NEACJS meeting which will be held at Roger Williams University in Portsmouth, R.I., June 8-11. NEACJS is the major regional academic criminal justice association in New England with a membership extending into Canada and the Mid-Atlantic States.

Professor Balboni also had her first academic book, Clergy Sexual Abuse Litigation: Survivors Seeking Justice, published by Lynne Rienner Publishers in 2011.  Read more...

Prior to that her peer-reviewed journal article was published in June 2010 in Contemporary Justice Review (Volume 13, Issue 2, pp. 133-154). Co-authored with Professor Donna Bishop, Northeastern University, the article is entitled "Transformative Justice: Survivor Perspectives on Clergy Sexual Abuse Litigation."

Professor Balboni was also awarded a 2010 SAGE Junior Faculty Professional Development Teaching Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The travel reimbursement award, which was developed in partnership between SAGE, ACJS, and participating SAGE authors, is given to a select group of faculty in recognition of significant promise as teachers.

Professor Balboni used the award to attend the ACJS Professional Development Teaching Workshop and Conference in 2010 in San Diego, California, where she presented her paper on "Sexting and the Law," and was honored at a special reception and at the ACJS Awards Ceremony during the conference.

Professor Ronald Warners, Director of the Honors Scholars Program, had his research highlighted in the Winter 2010 issue of The Institute News, from the Justice System Training and Research Institute at Roger Williams University.

Dr. Warners surveyed over 450 graduates of the Justice System Training and Research Institute's Field Training and Evaluation Program FTO Course, and the Command Training Series First Line Supervisor Course. His research findings will assist in the enhancement of curriculum for future program offerings at the Institute.

His article entitled, "The Field Training Experience: Perception of FTOs and trainees" examines attitudes that influence the education of police officers. This article was published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in November in their monthly publication entitled, Police Chief.

Professor Peter Hainer presented a workshop to colleagues from across the country at the annual Teaching Professor Conference, in the summer of 2010, in Cambridge, MA. His proposal, entitled "Turn them all...On!: A Networked Approach to Classroom Learning," highlights his innovative approach to, and results of, his First-Year Seminar course. The proposal was one of only 51 selected from over 300 applicants.

Professor Rose Bigler recently published a chapter in a new book by Robert Bing, "Race, Crime, and the Media", published by McGraw Hill. The book features scholarship focusing on the criminal justice system, the media, and race.

Her chapter is "The Media and Professional Sports: The Intersection of Race, Sports, and Media in the Michael Vick Dog Fighting Case," a case study and content analysis of how the New York Times covered the Michael Vick dog fighting case, looking at the role of race when race, crime, and professional sports intersect in the media. Professor Bigler has also been on this year's program committee for the American Society of Criminology.

Professor Magueye Seck presented and chaired a panel titled, 'The Feminization of Migration and the Changing African Diaspora' in SanFrancisco, CA at the African Studies Association meetings in the fall of 2010.