Schedule of Events

Students enrolled in criminal psychology are required to interview male and female inmates at the Todd road jail. The students are majoring in criminology or psychology. The inmates voluntarily consented to the interviews. Their offenses are typically drug related, but a number of them also have convictions for property and personal crimes. Most have prior convictions and some have served time in state prison. The purpose of the interviews is to learn about criminal motivations and what influences contributing to their crimes. Since most of the students are seeking careers in counseling or justice system, the interviews will provide practice on interviewing techniques. A three part questionnaire is used to interview the inmates.  The questionnaire consists of questions about the inmate’s personal and family history, present and past crimes, criminal motivations, and value of rehabilitation programs. All interviews are non-contact or conducted by phone in the visitor’s area of the jail.  Upon conclusion of all interviews, students discuss and compare inmate responses by gender.
 

This presentation is part of a longitudinal research study conducted by a faculty and student research team at California Lutheran University. The primary goal of the larger project is to evaluate the effectiveness of Safe Passage, a collaboration between the local police and park and recreation department to improve two specific disadvantaged apartment complexes in Thousand Oaks. The purpose of these interventions is to create safer neighborhoods and to expand the educational opportunities for children, as well as to deter them from delinquent behavior. As students part of this research team, we worked as interns and tutors while also helping to measure the effectiveness of Safe Passage efforts. This presentation focuses on a survey that we distributed to the parents in one of the apartment complexes. The questionnaire asked respondents about perceptions of safety, trust in police, challenges that affect youth, and opinions about the afterschool tutoring club. Findings suggest that families felt safe, but only the youngest residents trusted the police. Respondents said that the top challenges affecting youth were low parental education, behavioral problems and gangs. The parents were hopeful that the homework club would help their children do better in school, although only a few respondents believed that it would be effective in keeping their children out of trouble. In addition to these key findings, we discuss some methodological challenges of data collection, and describe our plans for future research.  
 

While studying Criminal Justice first at Moorpark College and now at California Lutheran University, I knew that I did not want to work in law enforcement. However, I knew that I did want to help people affected by crime, I just did not know in what capacity. In learning about human trafficking through Dr. Lim’s courses and volunteering with ZOE International while doing service projects for CJSA, I found my calling. Through my internship with ZOE International I have been given the opportunity to help aid the fight against human trafficking in ways that I did not expect. Some highlights of my work include researching current cases, reviewing the applicability of terminology used by NGOs, and aiding in various projects, including this year’s Race Across America (RAAM) event. These are just some of the tasks I have been given the opportunity to complete thus far. My ongoing experience with ZOE has further emphasized to me just how important the role everyday citizens play in combatting human trafficking; this is a criminal justice issue that everyone has a role in fighting. This presentation will be accompanied by a PowerPoint with more information, which will approved by the Criminal Justice faculty sponsors before presentation.

Criminal justice laws have changed in the last ten years and offenders are now being housed in the jails for longer sentences than they have been in the past.  Jails historically are not geared to offer a broad range of reentry programs, therefore, Cal  Lutheran faculty have been supportive in meeting some of these needs.  Criminology and Criminal Justice Culver fellows are working with faculty to implement Path 101 workshops at the Todd Road Jail in Ventura County. These are soft-skills workshops that stem from the voices of inmates who have expressed the need for additional resources that can enhance their transition back into the community. Cal  Lutheran faculty have the passion to aid in the process of community reintegration for those who live behind the walls, hence faculty are going into the jail to teach these workshops. Both male and female inmates in substance abuse and re-entry programs have an opportunity to participate in these workshops and range from the healing power of the Arts (self-portraits) to job readiness interview skills. These workshops are geared to enhance the inmate's chance of gainful employment once released & diminish their odds of returning to prison.