Publications

This report summarizes the research efforts related to the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Arrest and Referral Assessment conducted by the University of Utah’s Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC). Background DMC Within the area of criminal justice, few issues have generated as much interest and controversy as the relationship between race and ethnicity and crime (Piquero, 2008). A wealth of research

Summary: In Utah, a recommendation of probation, jail, or prison should be based on an offender’s criminal history score and the severity and type of their most recent offense. Additionally, the offenders’ mitigating/aggravating factors are taken into consideration. The criminal history score is based on the offender’s past involvement with the justice system. The score then places offenders into a

Summary: Understanding factors behind sustained criminal justice involvement is a primary focus of criminal justice research and professionals. Here we examine the relationship between offense type and new criminal convictions for offenders on parole in Utah. By analyzing 3,173 parolees released from Utah’s state prison in 2013 and 2016, we find that offenders convicted of a sex-offense have a reduced

Figure 1: Utah’s prison population: 2000-19 Research Question: When controlling for relevant factors, does offense type play a part in predicting new criminal convictions while on parole? This study examines the role of offense type on the likelihood of a new criminal conviction while on parole and examines the severity of the new criminal convictions that occurred. Data: 3,173 unique

Summary: Decades of research have demonstrated a systemic and nationwide presence of racial and ethnic disparities in the United States’ criminal justice system. The sources of these disparities have commonly been attributed to (1) differences in the type and rate of criminal behaviors, (2) unequal treatment across groups, and (3) a combination of the two. Furthermore, differential treatment by systems and structurally

Introduction Why Restorative Justice in Education? Across the nation, school districts, their stakeholders, and policymakers have become increasingly concerned about the negative short- and long-term consequences on students of punitive and exclusionary disciplinary practices, often called zero-tolerance policies. Research consistently demonstrates that students of color disproportionately bear the burden of zero-tolerance policies, including facing suspensions, expulsions, referrals to law enforcement

Phase II Study Description Individuals with mental health disorders are highly overrepresented within the United States correctional facilities (Prins, 2014). Since the Community Mental Health Act was passed in the 1960s, long-term, residential state hospitals for mental health treatment were shut down across the nation. These state hospitals were viewed as warehouses for individuals with mental illness, and frequently had

Summary: In the state of Utah, a revocation to prison from parole can occur in two instances: (1) if the offender failed to comply with their supervision conditions, and (2) if the offender was convicted of a new crime while on parole. It should be emphasized that changes in revocation rates over time may reflect changes in offender behavior rather

Summary: This paper originates from a Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) working group’s discussions regarding the death penalty. In June 2016, CCJJ directed the creation of a working group to study the death penalty in Utah. CCJJ tasked the working group with examining: (1) current statutory aggravators; (2) costs; (3) public attitude; (4) victims’ rights; and (5) other

Summary: In 2013, The Utah Sentencing Commission appointed a committee to research and develop an incentive matrix for Utah probationers and parolees. Members participating in this committee included representatives of the Utah Sentencing Commission, Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ), Utah Department of Corrections (UDC), specifically the Adult Probation and Parole (APP) division,