Faculty and Staff Attend the 2023 National Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Conference

This March Dr. Danielle T. Cooper, Dr. Lorenzo M. Boyd, and graduate student researchers, Jessica Morgan, Sudeshna Das, and Nicole Kessler, from the Tow Youth Justice Institute (TYJI) attended the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), 2023 Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. Dr. Cooper and Dr. Boyd presented their evaluation research on the Connecticut Institute of Youth and Police Relations (CIYPR). Their presentation, Connecticut Residents’ Perspectives and Recommended Areas of Improvement for Youth and Police Relations, focused on the results from a statewide survey that was used to learn about the community’s relationship with police, their interactions, and their knowledge of programs intended to build connections with the community.

The findings helped the TYJI research team better understand the current needs of the community that can be used to improve the next cohort of CIYPR. This presentation was shared with folks who attended the Police Reform, Youth, & Public Safety panel, which brought new voices from across the country and from various academic and practitioner backgrounds. The diverse conversation centered around advocating for comprehensive youth training, de-escalation training efforts, building authentic community relations, solving racial and ethnic disparities, and constructing transparency in reform efforts. Sharing the evaluation research and introducing several new voices fosters an environment of change and possibilities that the TYJI research team was fortunate to be a part of.