The PA Prisons and Parole Podcast

Episode 23: Justice Reinvestment program outcomes (Dr. Matt Kleiman)

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.

Episode 22: Little Scandinavia (Dr. Jordan Hyatt)

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.

Episode 21: PA DOC Strategic Plan (Randee Brant)

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.

Episode 20: Evaluation of In-Prison College Courses (Dr. Sarah Tahamont)

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.

Episode 19: Evidence-Based Corrections Policy

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.