News for Students and Alumni

May 20, 2010, ULM Criminal Justice professor receives U.S. Marine Corps award

Assistant Professor Dean Lanham of the department of criminal justice earned the General James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps' Quality Citizen Recognition award, as a representative of the Marine Corps within the community. Lanham has been a dedicated volunteer of his time, assistance, and service in the area, according to ULM's Criminal Justice Department Head Robert Hanser.
"His previous service in the Marine Corps enables him to have a unique understanding of what epitomizes the core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment of the Corps and what it takes to become a Marine," said Hanser. "His emphasis on education and service to the community, the state of Louisiana, and the United States has been exemplary."

May 13, 2010, ULM Criminal Justice Department Head speaks on human trafficking

Dr. Robert Hanser, criminal justice department head at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, spoke to the Louisiana Private Investigator's Association on human trafficking in the United States last month.
Hanser noted in his talk that many missing youth, as well as adults, might be victims of human trafficking. He provided an overview of data from different domestic sources to highlight this possibility.
He also gave an overview of different organizations that can assist investigators and citizens in uncovering information related to potential victims in Louisiana.
"Certain indicators could give clues as to whether missing persons may be victims of human trafficking," said Hanser.
"Louisiana has begun using its own human trafficking statute for prosecution purposes, which means that this is clearly a problem both in the international community and the domestic home front," he said.

March 25, 2010, ULM Criminal Justice Professors present at national conference

Drs. Dean Lanham and Attapol Kuanliang, assistant professors of criminal justice, and Dr. Robert Hanser, department head and associate professor of criminal justice, recently presented research at the 2010 Annual Conference of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in San Diego, Calif.
Kelly Wright, adjunct instructor of criminal justice and employee at the local non-profit Center for Children and Families, attended and presented collaborative research conducted between ULM and her agency.
Dr. Lanham, Kuanliang and Hanser participated in a joint panel titled "The Clash of Ethics and Culture in Criminal Justice," which examined professional standards and training in the fields of policing and correctional work.
Dr. Lanham gave three presentations at the conference. The first, "Ethical Conduct for Law Enforcement," discussed ethics issues encountered by police around the nation, highlighting both obvious and discrete issues that confront policing personnel. The second, "Assessing Risk and Determining Outcomes of Interventions with Youth," discussed the link between risk assessment and evidence-based outcomes in developing interventions for youth. His last presentation, "Social Control of Juveniles: Key Factors to Juvenile Delinquency through Informal Social Control," examined the impact of informal social controls on risk factors associated with juvenile delinquency.
Kuanliang's presentation, "Ethical and Cultural Mores in Thailand: Understanding Police in Thailand," highlighted cultural influences that shape standards regarding police professionalism by comparing the development of the policing profession in Thailand with the United States.
Hanser's presentation, "The Effect of Higher Education on the Work Performance of Correctional and Police Officers," provided observations on academy-level trainee performance based on prior levels of education that is obtained.
Wright's presentation, "A Systemic Approach to Juvenile Corrections: An Evaluation of a Family Preservation Program in a Rural Setting," examined three years of program outcomes associated with the Family Foundations Family Preservation Program at The Center for Children and Families. Wright, Kuanliang and marriage and family therapy Graduate Student Tyler Hebert conducted research for the presentation collaboratively.
The Department of Criminal Justice collaborated with the faculty in their research.
"I am really proud to be affiliated with these professionals," Hanser said. "Each one is an expert in their chosen areas of specialty and their attendance allowed them to showcase their expertise, as well as ULM's positive reputation among other scholars and practitioners."

March 5, 2010, ULM Professor publishes text demonstrating counseling techniques

Dr. Robert Hanser, head of the department of criminal justice, is the lead author of new text recently published by Pearson/Prentice Hall.
The text, Correctional Counseling, is one of the few to demonstrate specific counseling techniques and modalities with the offender population. The text provides guidance in the treatment of many specialized offender typologies, such as domestic batterers, sex offenders, drug offenders, juvenile offenders, female offenders, as well as offenders with various health issues and challenges.
Hanser co-authored the text with Dr. Scott Mire of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, who has worked with the offender population in a variety of capacities, both treatment and law-enforcement related. In addition, Alton Braddock, a ULM faculty member of the department of criminal justice, provided his expertise as a former prison warden and correctional administrator.
Hanser has experience providing treatment services with domestic batterers, substance abusers, adjudicated youth, and female offenders. He has worked in a variety of treatment settings and has published on various issues related to treatment.
Because of his experience in both the real-world and academic settings, Correctional Counseling offers a strong practitioner orientation, enabling students to become proficient in providing basic correctional counseling services to the offender population.
"The overarching goal of the text is to provide a teaching-and-learning aid that will create practitioners in the field who are competent in offender treatment," said Hanser.
"This text is unique because it provides clear and specific instruction on how treatment with difficult correctional populations should be conducted," he added. "It is not just an exercise in theory, it shows students exactly how treatment is done within the correctional setting."

February 25, 2010, ULM professor conducts workshops in Thailand

Dr. Attapol Kuanliang, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, was invited to conduct workshops this past month at the Thailand Ministry of Justice's Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection in Bangkok. Kuanliang previously acted as a consultant for the department and is a member of the advisory board of the Thailand Juvenile Justice Reform Project.
"One of the highlights of this trip was a workshop on the juvenile justice system. During this workshop, I had the opportunity to present on issues associated with juvenile justice reform from the past, present and future," Kuanliang said. "Participants included juvenile court judges and supervisors in the juvenile justice system from around the country and was chaired by the Minister of Justice, Phraphan Saliratwiphak."
While there, Kuanliang was invited to a conference at the Office of Justice Affairs to discuss drug policies in Thailand with Her Royal Highness Princess Bajra Kitiyabha, Office of Justice Affairs Director Vitaya Suriyawong and various Thai officials, as well as students and professors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
Kuanliang is also the co-principal investigator in research titled "The return on investment of budget management on drug policy" which is funded by the Justice Ministry's Office of the Narcotics Control Board.
"I am both honored and grateful to have had this opportunity to represent the University of Louisiana at Monroe and to exchange knowledge and ideas with Thai officials," Kuanliang said.

November 2009, ULM honor society recognizes Top 10 faculty and staff

The University of Louisiana at Monroe chapter of the Mortar Board College Senior Honor Society recently named its Top 10 faculty and staff members for 2009-2010. The honorees were selected by the group's student members and were introduced on the field during the ULM homecoming football game on October 3. Each received a plaque to commemorate this recognition. This year's honorees include: Attapol Kuanliang, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, nominated by Brent Gibert.

ULM faculty presents research to federal substance abuse administration

University of Louisiana at Monroe faculty member Dr. Robert Hanser, who serves as head of ULM's Criminal Justice Department, presented research findings about a local drug treatment center to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The center, Rays of Sonshine, specializes in treating women and is where Hanser has served as an evaluator and researcher for more than four years. He presented his findings to DHHS's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Hanser's research measured treatment progress for clients with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders, and indicated that Rays of Sonshine had statistically significant positive effects with the people they serve. His findings have helped the center optimize and refine their treatment processes. "This type of applied research is what I find most productive because it is directly relevant to the day-to-day operations of service providers," Hanser said. "More importantly, it serves a useful purpose in helping people to overcome debilitating issues in their lives." Following his presentation, Hanser was invited to present his research at a workshop with other organizations that receive SAMHSA funds. His consulting fee for speaking at the workshop was donated to the Institute of Law Enforcement.

October 14, 2009, ULM signs Memorandum of Understanding with Thailand officials

University of Louisiana at Monroe President James E. Cofer and Dean of Faculty Wariya Chinwanno of Mahidol University in Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two universities on Tuesday.The agreement was reached following consultations with Dr. Robert Hanser, head of ULM's Criminal Justice Department and Dr. Jeffrey Cass, dean of ULM College of Arts and Sciences, concerning the development of reciprocal programs to promote international exchange and cooperation between the two institutions.
"Dr. Attapol Kuanliang, a professor in our department who is from Thailand, was also instrumental in securing the relations between our two universities," said Hanser.
Cass said Tuesday's agreement stems from conversations with Thai officials during last year's International Criminal Justice Association meeting in Lafayette, which led to a tentative agreement between the two universities, resulting in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The agreement enables doctoral students from Thailand to earn graduate hours toward a second master's degree or completion of a graduate certificate in criminal justice. Mahidol University students bear financial responsibility while enrolled as a student at ULM. In exchange, ULM will benefit from the exchange of faculty and student scholars, information and research.
"Globalization is impacting all disciplines, including criminal justice," said Hanser. "It is important for us to produce practitioners and scholars equipped to engage in the global crime-fighting effort. Partnerships such as this one facilitate this effort."
"Deborah and I are honored to host you here, and we're proud of our criminal justice faculty who have developed this type of collaboration across borders," said Cofer, acknowledging the Thailand delegation who visited Bon Aire, the ULM presidential home, on Tuesday.
"We have many similar programs where we can cooperate," said Chinwanno, "And our students are expected to complete their dissertation in English, so they will be expected to come to ULM in summer for English."
Director Srisombat Chokprajakchat, Chanabodi Chinwanno and Surat Chokprajakchat of Thailand joined ULM officials in Tuesday's signing.

October 8, 2009, ULM secures nearly $300,000 for Violence Prevention and Intervention

Two University of Louisiana at Monroe professors have secured nearly $300,000 in grant funding for the prevention of violence against women.
Dr. Robert Hanser of the department of criminal justice, along with the co-director Dr. Pamela Saulsberry, head of the department of social work, recently obtained the $299,995 grant through the Department of Justice's Office on Violence against Women.
The grant provides funding for the project over a three-year period that seeks to enhance collaboration between the university campus and state and local agencies to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus.
Offices and community agencies, including campus administrators, campus security staff, judicial boards, local law enforcement, the non-profit agency Wellspring, the Family Justice Center and statewide coalitions are among the organizations that are joining in the collaborative effort.
Hanser has served over four years as a standing member of the Steering Committee for the Family Justice Center, a local facility that provides multiple services for persons who are affected by domestic violence.
"The Family Justice Center does quite a bit of good work within the community, and the ULM department of criminal justice has maintained a close working relationship with them," he said.
"I am glad to further facilitate that working relationship in a manner that benefits our students, staff, and faculty on campus, as well as various members of the community."

March 2009, Criminal justice chair publishes new textbook

Robert D. Hanser, ULM assistant professor and department head of criminal justice, recently published a new textbook, Community Corrections. Published by Sage Publications, the book is intended for undergraduate programs in criminal justice that offer courses in community corrections, probation, and parole.
This textbook covers all the relevant topics in community corrections and provides a strong blend of practice and theory that is not typically found in other texts. Community Corrections explores the history of probation and parole, arguments for and against the treatment of offenders, the point and purpose of community corrections, as well as jail facilities and detention centers.
The text is fully comprehensive (15 chapters and 552 pages) and includes a study site and instructor resources, making it well-suited for online educators as well as those in the traditional classroom setting. This text can also be a supplement for general courses in the field of corrections.
This is Hanser's second textbook of which he has been the sole author. He has co-authored another textbook on juvenile justice and has also co-edited an anthology on multinational criminal justice issues.
Due to the success of this project, Sage Publications recently signed another contract with Hanser to complete an introductory corrections text in 2010.

May 2008, ULM graduate student Rawls wins 3rd place in national criminal justice competition

Amber Rawls, a graduate student in the ULM Criminal Justice Department from Bastrop, recently won a national student paper competition April 11, sponsored by the American Criminal Justice Association - Lambda Alpha Epsilon.
Rawls' paper, "Critical Incidents: Police officers, posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, and law enforcement agencies" earned third place for the graduate division in the 2008 National Student Paper Competition at the American Criminal Justice Association – Lambda Alpha Epsilon National Conference. The paper examines how critical incidents affect the local and neighboring law enforcement agencies, the importance of identifying and assisting officers suffering from posttraumatic stress, and how to develop departmental policies to encourage posttraumatic growth.
Her paper was judged by professionals in the criminal justice field and based on criteria such as relevancy of the topic, topic coverage, clarity of presentation, organization, writing style and quality, and contribution to the criminal justice field. The graduate division category of competition included those persons enrolled in an accredited post-graduate program such as a master's or doctorate degree program.
The August 10, 2007 shootings of Bastrop Police Detective Sergeants John Smith and Chuck Wilson led Rawls, a former Bastrop Police Department patrol officer, to study the reactions of police officers following traumatic events. "The media and public become focused on the tragic event, and oftentimes overlook the police officers who are involved. Law enforcement officers are real people who may be affected profoundly by what they experience."
The American Criminal Justice Association - Lambda Alpha Epsilon is a professional criminal justice organization consisting of 243 chapters throughout the nation. Membership is composed of persons who are formally committed to the field of criminal justice either through their education or employment. Members are drawn from the total criminal justice spectrum – law enforcement, prosecution, defense, courts and corrections.