The Criminologist

Training matters. But what happens after the training ends? In this special mini-episode of The Criminologist Podcast, Joseph Arvidson reflects on a question that correctional organizations—and perhaps the broader helping professions—need to ask more often: How do we know whether training actually resulted in learning, application, and improved proficiency? Agencies invest significant time and resources in conferences, certifications, curricula, and staff development. We document attendance. We issue certificates. We check the box. But then what? Your host introduces what he jokingly calls the "Train and Pray" model—the tendency to provide training and then simply hope that people remember it, understand it, and transfer it into practice. Using examples from Risk-Need-Responsivity and a memorable golf analogy, this episode explores a different way of thinking about professional development: Train → Practice → Measure → Reinforce. The goal is not to diminish the importance of good training. It is to recognize that training is only one part of a larger learning and implementation system—one that should include practice, feedback, reinforcement, and opportunities to demonstrate proficiency. Joseph doesn't claim to have the entire solution figured out....not just yet!  But he believes this is a question the field should be asking. What happens after training in your organization—and how do you know whether people can actually apply what they learned? 🎙️ The Criminologist Podcast #Corrections #Probation #Parole #RiskNeedResponsivity #RNR #ProfessionalDevelopment #ImplementationScience #CriminalJustice #Training #TheCriminologistPodcast    

What does it take to move evidence-based corrections across cultures — and make reform survive the real world? In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, Joseph Arvidson sits down with Chilean psychologist and correctional reform specialist Carolina Báez Hernández for a wide-ranging conversation about evidence-based practice, Risk-Need-Responsivity, implementation, culture, leadership, and the realities of correctional reform. Joe and Carolina first met in Barcelona at the International Training School on Core Correctional Skills, where Joe was an instructor and Carolina was a participant. Their professional paths later crossed again in Uruguay, where Carolina joined Joe during his Fulbright Specialist work with prison professionals, and most recently in Bali, where they presented together at the World Congress on Probation and Parole. Their conversation explores questions that matter far beyond any single country or correctional system: • What happens when evidence-based models developed in one setting are introduced into another culture? • How do we balance fidelity with adaptation? • Why is implementation rarely just a technical problem? • What roles do politics, culture, leadership, and narrative play in whether reform succeeds or collapses? • What can Latin America teach the rest of the world about rehabilitation, resilience, and justice reform? One of the central themes of the episode is simple but powerful: Good evidence is not enough. Reform succeeds or fails in the space between research and implementation. For probation and parole professionals, correctional leaders, researchers, policymakers, educators, and anyone interested in making evidence-based practice work in the real world, this is a conversation you will not want to miss. 🎙️ Guest: Carolina Báez Hernández 🎧 Host: Joseph Arvidson, The Criminologist Podcast #Corrections #Probation #Parole #RNR #EvidenceBasedPractice #ImplementationScience #CriminalJustice #Desistance #Rehabilitation

Why are we so fascinated by high-profile crime—and when does that fascination cross the line from understanding into entertainment? In Episode 246 of The Criminologist Podcast, Joseph Arvidson welcomes criminologist, professor, author, media contributor, and host Dr. Debbie Goodman for a wide-ranging conversation about crime, justice, and public understanding. Dr. Goodman explores the difference between consuming true crime and examining crime through a criminological lens. She discusses how victims and survivors are represented in the media, why complex acts of violence resist simple explanations, and what the public often misunderstands about juvenile offending, mass violence, familicide, and other serious crimes. The conversation also examines the responsibility criminologists and justice professionals carry when commenting publicly on active or high-profile cases—and what future police officers, probation professionals, attorneys, advocates, and justice leaders should understand before entering the field. This episode moves beyond sensational headlines and asks a more important question: How can we talk about crime in ways that inform the public without losing sight of the people whose lives are affected? Learn more about Dr. Debbie Goodman: 🌐 Crime Time with Dr. Debbie https://www.crimetimewithdrdebbie.com/ 🔗 Connect with Dr. Goodman on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-debbie-goodman-05a52a229/ Subscribe to The Criminologist Podcast and share this episode with a colleague, student, or justice professional who values thoughtful conversations about crime and justice.

In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson welcomes Dianna Kalandros, Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Coconino County, Arizona, for a conversation about collaboration, innovation, and what it means to humanize the justice system in practical ways. Dianna discusses the role of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils, the importance of bringing stakeholders together, and how local systems can respond to long-standing challenges in probation, courts, corrections, and community justice through creativity and collaboration. A central theme of the conversation is the shift from simply asking, "How do we respond when people fail?" to asking, "How do we create more opportunities for people to succeed?" Joe and Dianna explore incentive-based approaches, removing barriers, supervision fees, justice system collaboration, and the importance of recognizing progress. Dianna also shares the impact of the Client of the Month project and how it helped humanize individuals involved in the justice system for local stakeholders. The episode also touches on innovative efforts such as the Justice Bus, broader CJCC work in Coconino County, and examples of how communities can rethink access, accountability, and support. This conversation is especially relevant for probation, parole, pretrial services, courts, corrections, reentry, behavioral health, and justice-system leaders interested in improving outcomes through collaboration, practical innovation, and a more human-centered approach. Selected resources provided by Dianna are included below: Tempe incentives program article from KJZZ A look at how a Tempe-run program helps people charged with misdemeanors offset fees, connect with supports, and get back on track. https://www.kjzz.org/kjzz-news/2024-10-30/tempe-run-program-helps-people-charged-with-misdemeanors-offset-fees-get-back-on-track Coconino County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council More information about the CJCC in Coconino County, including Dianna's role and local CJCC work. https://www.coconino.az.gov/943/Criminal-Justice-Coordinating-Council National Network of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils — JMI Justice Learn more about CJCCs, standards, essential elements, and national resources. https://jmijustice.org/nncjcc/ CJCC Essential Elements — National Institute of Corrections A resource outlining the ten essential elements of high-performing Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. https://nicic.gov/resources/nic-library/all-library-items/cjcc-essential-elements-companion-national-standards Justice on the Road with Coconino County — JMI Justice A feature on Coconino County's Justice Bus initiative and its effort to bring justice-related services directly to communities. https://jmijustice.org/justice-on-the-road-with-coconino-county/ Coconino County Justice Bus information Information on Justice Bus events and services, including court documents, name changes, marriage licenses, set-asides, marijuana expungement applications, fine/fee payments, and other access-to-justice supports. https://www.coconino.az.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3383 Justice Bus Award Announcement Coconino County announcement on the Justice Bus winning the Arizona Supreme Court's 2025 Strategic Agenda Award for Expanding Access to Justice. https://www.coconino.az.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3307  

n this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, host Joseph Arvidson welcomes Caroline Georgiou for a conversation unlike any we have had on the show before. Caroline is a trauma-trained counsellor, somatic movement therapist, clinical supervisor, and one of the world's leading innerdance facilitators and trainers. Her work explores the relationship between sound, trauma, the nervous system, emotional regulation, identity, inner awareness, and human transformation — including within prison settings. Together, Joe and Caroline explore what happens when rehabilitation moves beneath words. In corrections, probation, parole, and treatment, so much of the work is built around conversation: interviews, assessments, groups, case plans, accountability, motivation, and behavior change. But Caroline invites us to consider the role of the body, the central nervous system, sound, somatic awareness, safety, connection, dysregulation, co-regulation, and identity in the change process. The conversation also connects with themes familiar to those interested in trauma-informed practice and the TIDES Supervision Model, including polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation, the importance of feeling safe and connected, and the role of identity in meaningful change. Caroline discusses how sound and music affect the body, mood, emotion, and behavior — and how this knowledge has long been used in other parts of society, from film directors shaping emotional experience to casinos creating environments that influence attention and behavior. That raises an important question for criminal justice professionals: if sound can be used to heighten emotion or shape behavior, how might it also be used ethically and intentionally to support reflection, regulation, healing, and rehabilitation? Joe and Caroline also discuss her work bringing sound-led transformation into prison settings, her vision for prison radio and sound-based wellbeing programs, and the intriguing possibility of developing a custom TIDES soundscape. Listeners will also hear selected samples from Caroline's free soundscape, available through her website, The Sound of Dreams. Learn more about Caroline Georgiou and access her resources here: https://www.thesoundofdreams.com/ This episode invites us to consider a powerful question: What if rehabilitation is not only about the conversations we have, but also about the environments we create?