Pracademically Speaking: Recent Episodes
The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast
This podcast blog will highlight news and information from and about the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
What happens after lawmakers pass criminal justice reform? Eventually, somebody has to ask: Did it actually work? In this episode, Bret Bucklen and Matt Kleiman (Executive Director of the PA Commission on Sentencing) discuss two major evaluations required under Pennsylvania’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative 2 (JRI2)—Short Sentence Parole and the State Drug Treatment Program—and what the data reveal when policy promises meet real-world outcomes.
What happens when a Pennsylvania prison unit is built around dignity, normalization, and human-centered design—and then tested with real science? Recorded onsite inside SCI Chester’s nationally recognized “Little Scandinavia” unit, this episode features Dr. Jordan Hyatt (Drexel University) sharing the philosophy behind the model and early results from a randomized controlled trial on violence, misconducts, and staff wellbeing.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recently developed a new five-year strategic plan – a roadmap for becoming a more intentional, data-driven organization. This episode features a discussion with Randee Brant (Chief of Staff for the PA DOC) about why the department chose this moment to develop a strategic plan, how the goals and measures were built, and what it will take for the plan to move the organization forward over the next five years.
Results are in from the most rigorous evaluation to date of Pell-funded college programs in prison. In this episode, Dr. Sarah Tahamont (University of Maryland) joins Pracademically Speaking to unpack findings from Pennsylvania’s randomized controlled trial of Second Chance Pell—and what the evidence really says about recidivism, employment, and the limits of impact at scale.
In this episode, Dr. Bucklen discusses what it means for a program, policy, or practice in corrections to be “evidence-based.” This label gets applied frequently to all sorts of programs, policies, and practices in corrections but less examined is the strength and quality of the evidence. Dr. Bucklen also discusses cost-benefit analysis, and why effectiveness alone isn’t the finish line. This episode lays out practical advice for corrections leaders and policymakers to become better consumers of the research and science in order to truly become evidence-based.
In this episode, we discuss a recently completed evaluation of the Personal Growth program for technical parole violators. The guest on the show is Dr. Amber Petkus, joint post-doctoral fellow with Penn State University and the PA Department of Corrections. We also talk with Dr. Petkus about her experience as a post-doc at the PA DOC. She reflects on her time with us as she prepares to move on.
In this episode we revisit three previously conducted evaluations by the PA Department of Corrections: 1) Therapeutic Communities (TCs); 2) the SIP-HOPE pilot program; and 3) a residential relocation pilot program. These evaluations highlight the use of multiple rigorous evaluation methodologies (randomized controlled trial, regression discontinuity, and propensity score matching) for attempting to understand the real causal impact of these initiatives/programs.
On this episode you’ll learn more about these three initiatives/programs, the findings from the evaluations, and what the implications are for policy and practice.
Staff wellness is an under-appreciated component of corrections historically. The field is just now starting to pay more careful attention to this important topic, but how do we measure the effectiveness of staff wellness initiatives? Outcomes in this area tend to be a bit more squishy than say recidivism rates or in-prison assault rates. In this episode we speak with Kayla Franklin, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections recently hired Staff Wellness Coordinator. Kayla helps us understand what staff wellness looks like in corrections, and also how to think about evaluating and measuring success in this area.
In this episode, Dr. Bret Bucklen discusses a new report released by his team this month, which is a cost-benefit analysis of the use of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT). The study compares the benefit-to-cost ratio for four different types of MATs that are currently used by the PA Department of Corrections: Revia, Vivitrol, Suboxone, and Sublocade. Revia (pill form) and Vivitrol (shot form) are referred to as “antagonist” MATs; Suboxone (pill form) and Sublocade (shot form) are referred to as “partial agonist” MATs. How do the costs (including the potential cost of diversion in prison) and benefits (including recidivism reduction and overdose death reduction) stack up for these various forms of MAT? This episode explains what MAT is, how it is used within the department, and the results from this new cost-benefit analysis study.
This episode features a conversation between Dr. Bret Bucklen (Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics) and Dr. Lucas Malishchak (Deputy Secretary of Reentry) on the PA DOC’s brand-new Recidivism & Desistance Initiative (RDI). This initiative was introduced in January 2025 to provide quantifiable public safety goals for the agency and to measure progress towards those goals. It is a performance management system designed to incentivize each site in the department—including each State Correctional Institution, Parole District Office, and Community Corrections Center—to contribute towards recidivism reduction and desistance enhancement.
This episode is a conversation between Dr. Bret Bucklen and Jim Stover (JRI Coordinator for the PA Department of Corrections) on the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). We discuss what exactly JRI is, and also the history and impact of JRI efforts in Pennsylvania.
In this year-end episode, Dr. Bret Bucklen and producer Jeff Coleman sit down to review and discuss some of the research and evaluation accomplishments at the PA Department of Corrections during 2024. They discuss results from studies on topics such as inmate visitation, Intensive Parole Supervision caseloads, reentry relocation, and the in-prison Violence Reduction Initiative.
Bret and Jeff also chat about what is ahead on the research and evaluation agenda in 2025, which is a preview for listeners of what they can expect to hear about in future episodes.
In this episode we speak with Bill Nicklow, deputy superintendent for facility security and special operations at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Bill talks with us about the practical side of efforts to reduce prison violence. He also shares highlights of his long and interesting career in the department. Bill provides context to the prison violence report by Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, which we spoke with her about on the last episode.
In this episode we speak with Dr. Nancy Rodriguez from the University of California-Irvine about a multi-state project that she and several of her colleagues have been conducting for the past five years to examine the causes and consequences of prison violence. As this project is now coming to a close, Dr. Rodriguez shares with us some of the major findings from the project. She also shares relevant practical implications for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
In this episode we continue to remember the life and legacy of Mark Kleiman. We review perhaps his most important practical contribution to the field, what he called Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) Supervision. The principles of SCF Supervision were laid out in in his 2009 book, “When Brute Force Fails.” We discuss various ways that the PA Department of Corrections has implemented the principles of SCF Supervision.
Additional Resources on “When Brute Force Fails” and SCF Supervision:
- Order a copy of “When Brute Force Fails”
- PDF version of early copy of “When Brute Force Fails”
- PA DOC review of WBFF in “Research In Review”
- PEW review of HOPE
- “Fixing The Parole System” article
- SCF Resource Center link
- Mark Kleiman video: “Filling Up Prisons Without Fighting Crime”
Mark Kleiman was a special friend to the PA Department of Corrections, partnering with us on many initiatives over the years such as assisting in incorporating the principles of swift, certain, and fair (SCF) supervision into practice, in-prison violence reduction initiatives, and other evaluation and innovation efforts. This special episode is a tribute to the life and legacy of Mark Kleiman. We discuss his personal and professional connections with us, his many efforts to help us improve as an organization over the years, and his broader legacy to the field.
On July 31, 2024, the PA DOC, along with Penn State University, hosted their first ever Corrections Innovation Day. The event brought PA DOC staff from various levels and types of positions together with a large group of academic partners in order to brainstorm around innovative and testable solutions to some of the department’s most important issues, such as recidivism reduction, in-prison violence reduction, restrictive housing reform, and staff wellness. In the special episode, you’ll hear a report from various participants at this event. A special thanks to Arnold Ventures for sponsoring the event.
In the second part of this month’s series, we talk with Jason Stauffer, the PA DOC’s Supervisor of Assessment and Classification Services. Jason talks about his background in corrections and assessment, how the PA DOC uses risk and needs assessment, and specifically how the PA DOC uses their new Strong-R assessment instrument.
In the first part of this month’s series, we talk with the team at Vant4ge, a company that produces a correctional risk/needs assessment tool called the Strong-R. We discuss what risk/needs assessment is, and also discuss its importance in the corrections field. The Vant4ge team talks about what new developments are happening in the risk/needs assessment industry.
In this follow-up episode, we continue our discussion on the concept of “desistance” with a very special guest: Dr. Laurel Harry, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Sec. Harry talks about her career and about her interest in implementing desistance as a practical framework in the field of corrections.
In this episode we discuss the concept of “desistance,” an idea which has been around for a while in academic criminology but is only now beginning to catch on among corrections practitioners and policy-makers. Dr. Bucklen describes what desistance is, discusses how to define and measure it, and explains its practical use as a complimentary measure to recidivism by correctional agencies.
Resources referenced in this episode:
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ 2022 Recidivism Report
- National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report – “Desistance from Crime: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice”
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.
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.
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"
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"
In the second episode of Pracademically Speaking, Bret Bucklen dives into the Governor’s Office of Performance Through Excellence, including what it is, why it was formed and what they are doing to help the commonwealth improve efficiency. Later Bret talks with a parole agent to discover what BetaGov programs look like in the field.
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"