Collaborations

Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA): $317,658

As the research partner for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California, under the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, our team works with local recipient agencies to evaluate community-based violence reduction initiatives for PSN FY 2021, FY 2022, and FY 2023. This is an evaluation of how each agency implements their proposed violent crime reduction initiatives, including efforts to reduce gun and gang violence. We provide site-level research support, helping agencies track outcomes, assess effectiveness, and make data-driven adjustments in real time. Using a participatory action-research model, we collaborate directly with agencies to design and implement evaluations, analyze data, and provide timely feedback that informs ongoing program improvements. This partnership strengthens evidence-based approaches to crime reduction while also giving CSUSB students hands-on experience in applied criminal justice research through in-class applied service learning projects, independent studies, and research assistantships.

FUNDING: Bureau of Justice Assistance. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) FY 2023. (Funding Period: 2024 – 2027). United States Attorney’s Office Central District of California (USAO-CDCA), Research Partner Subaward (Pass through SANDAG). Gisela Bichler (FY 2021 PI; FY 2022 Co-PI), Reveka V. Shteynberg (FY 2021 Co-PI, FY 2022 PI, FY 2023 PI), Nerea Marteache (FY 2023 Co-PI), Andrea Giuffre, Shuryo Fujita, John Reitzel. Amount:  $317,658. PSN 2021 Award # 15PBJA-21-GG-03003-GUNP; PSN 2022 Award # 15PBJA-22-GG-00707-GUNP; PSN 2023 Award # 15PBJA-23-GG-02435-GUNP. 

Stopping Illegal Decisions in Supply Chains funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF Award # 2237907):  $992,710

The project develops tools to understand and disrupt criminal supply networks by making crime a less attractive option. Specifically, the study examines how and why businesses make illegal choices and how these choices spread across industries. By modeling competition between legal and illicit actors, it identifies the conditions that make crime profitable and finds ways to add “friction” that raises costs and reduces rewards. Starting with the massage therapy industry and expanding into others like agriculture and pharmaceuticals, the project aims to make markets more resistant to crime.  

FUNDING: National Science Foundation (NSF). D-ISN: Constraining Illicit Decision Making Within and Across Dynamic Supply Networks, NSF 21-582, Bichler, Gisela (PI, CSUSB), Petter, Stacie (Co-PI, Wake Forest University) & Aros-Vera, Felipe (Co-PI, Ohio University).  Awarded Sept. 15, 2023, Project period: August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2027; Amount: $992,710. Award # 2237907.  (Click here for  a link to the NSF abstract). 

Over the past 25 years, CCJR acted as a research partner evaluating a diverse set of programming from juvenile diversion and gang reduction to drug courts and aftercare programs for recently-released inmates. Please find a sample of our past projects below:

• Preventing Crime in Transportation Systems Projects

  • Service Learning with Omnitrans and Foothill Transit (Fall 2021, Fall 2023, Fall 2025): Nerea Marteache and students enrolled in CJUS 5508

    • Dr. Nerea Marteache partnered with two local transportation agencies, Omnitrans and Foothill Transit to create a service-learning assignment for the course CJUS 5508: Preventing Crime in Transportation Systems. Students enrolled in the class worked in groups and with the agencies to identify and analyze issues such as fear of crime among passengers, property and violent crimes in buses, and crime and disorder issues in transit centers. The analysis included interviews with agency representatives, crime data provided by their safety departments, and site visits to transit centers. At the end of the course, students created innovative and targeted crime prevention initiatives that were presented to the agencies. Students' feedback on the service-learning project included comments such as “Being able to work with agencies and tackle real issues in transportation systems was one of the best things I have yet to do in my academics”. Another student said, “this was a new perspective of learning and I really enjoyed the concept of helping someone. It felt like I was being seen and heard. It was different and I loved it!” The CSU has designated Criminal Justice 5508: Preventing Crime in Transportation Systems, Section 01 that was first offered in Fall 2021 with the course attribute CSLI: Community Service Learning.  The assigned course attribute recognizes the use of a distinct pedagogy that intentionally and explicitly integrates course learning, civic learning, community learning activities, and community partners. (Click here for an example of the Omnitrans partnership).

• Riverside County Probation Department (RCPD) Training Evaluation Study

  • RCPD Implicit Bias Training Evaluation Study (2023-2025): Douglas Weiss, Alexis Norris, Nerea Marteache, and Gisela Bichler

    • The research program uses multiple data sources to evaluate practices within the Riverside County Probation Department (RCPD). Document reviews analyzed policies, training materials, recruitment content, and survey results to assess alignment with workforce and leadership best practices. An Implicit Bias Training Evaluation Survey gathered data from all sworn staff to measure pre- and post-training attitudes, knowledge, and workplace experiences. Workforce data tracked through aggregated monthly demographic reports compared against census data, while approximately 50 workforce interviews explored the perceived barriers to promotion, retention, and overall organizational culture. To protect confidentiality, surveys and interviews were conducted through separate platforms and anonymized protocols. Finally, client outcome data, collected from 2018 onward, were analyzed for demographic disparities in risk assessments, supervision levels, violations, warrants, and probation completions, with attention to pre- and post-COVID periods for context. Overall, the program integrates document review, surveys, interviews, and secondary data analysis to evaluate workforce diversity, staff perspectives, and client outcomes. This was part of a two-year, $250,000 contract.

• Community-wide Survey of the CSUSB University Police Department (UPD)

  • CSUSB UPD Community Survey Report (2024): Nicole L. Collier, Christine N. Famega, and Zachary A. Powell

In Fall 2024, the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice conducted a campus-wide survey at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) on behalf of the University Police Department (UPD). The purpose of the survey was to gather feedback on UPD’s performance and to support its accreditation process. A survey was distributed electronically through Qualtrics to faculty, staff, and students via the official “colleagues” and “students” listserv distribution channels. Insights were gathered from a total of 354 respondents across the campus community. In general, most respondents feel safe on campus and trust the campus police. UPD can better serve the campus community by advertising its services, connecting more with the campus population, increasing lighting in parking lots, and deploying more officers at night. (Click here for the report).

• Evaluation of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health SAFE-T Net Program

  • California Board of State and Community Corrections Prop 47 Grant: Final Evaluation Report on the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health SAFE-T Net Program (2021), John D. Reitzel and Nicole Henley

This final evaluation report examines the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health’s Proposition 47-funded SAFE-T Net program, designed to reduce recidivism among formerly incarcerated individuals with substance use and mental health challenges. Implemented in the High Desert region, the program provided peer navigation, case management, life skills counseling, mental health and substance abuse treatment, job training, and transportation services through community-based partners. Over the 38-month project, 217 clients were served, with 61 completing at least six Life Skills sessions. Despite challenges posed by reduced funding, marijuana legalization, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the program achieved a 43% reduction in recidivism among completers, surpassing the 30% target. Qualitative findings highlight strong provider collaboration, client-centered adaptations, and innovative responses such as online service delivery. Lessons learned emphasize the importance of pre-planning for partnerships, integrating technology for service continuity, and incorporating incentives to maintain engagement. Overall, the evaluation concludes that SAFE-T Net successfully expanded reentry services, reduced recidivism, and demonstrated promising practices for addressing the complex needs of justice-involved populations. (Click here for the final evaluation report). 

• Consulting for a Foster Youth Covid-19 Impact Report

  • Foster Youth COVID-19 Impact Report: Minnesota (2020): Reveka Shteynberg 

    • Consulting was provided to Foster Advocates, a Minnesota-based nonprofit focused on foster youth advocacy and policy change, in support of their statewide project examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on foster youth. Assistance was provided in framing the policy analysis for the Foster Youth COVID-19 Impact Report, with the first state-specific data of its kind, drawing on surveys and focus groups to highlight key challenges and practical recommendations. Foster Advocates used the findings to successfully advocate for COVID-19 relief funding, securing CARES Act support from Hennepin County that provided $1,500 payments to 120 foster youth, with a focus on those who had recently aged out of care. (Click here for the report).

• GRACE Program Evaluation

  • Riverside CalGRIP Gang Reduction and Community Engagement (GRACE) Program Evaluation (2014-2016): Gisela Bichler, Jill Christie-Merrall, Stacy Bush, and Juan Franquez

    • The Gang Reduction and Community Engagement (GRACE) program developed by the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department (PRCSD) in partnership with Operation New Hope sought to provide 60 at-risk youth from gang entrenched neighborhoods with a comprehensive program including life skills training, job development, and work experience so as to change the trajectory of their lives. The central thesis is that by increasing life and job skills, improving interpersonal communication skills, and backing this up with work experience, participants would be equipped with the tools critical to successfully transition into adulthood. The overarching goal for all participants is that upon completion of the program they would be able to get a job. Gainful employment should in turn, help them to avoid being drawn into the culture of gang activity that predominates in their home neighborhoods. While the outcomes assessment shows mixed results, participants experienced personal growth, improved interpersonal skills, and gained invaluable work experience. Lessons learned are discussed in the report. (Click here for the final report).

• Evaluation of Passages, a Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant demonstration project (MIOCRG): led by Dale K.Sechrest

  • The effects of negative childhood experiences on the severity of mental and substance abuse disorders and recidivism (2009): Christie Lynn Gabriel

Overcrowded prisons in the United States, particularly in California where facilities operate at 85% over capacity, are strongly linked to substance abuse, with half of state prisoners reporting being under the influence at the time of their offense. In 2007, nearly a third of California’s newly convicted felons were sentenced for non-trafficking, drug-related offenses, many of whom were also diagnosed with mental illness, forming a large population of dually diagnosed offenders. This study examines such inmates in a 90-day in-custody treatment program, finding that negative family and school experiences often precede substance abuse, mental illness, and criminal behavior. Results highlight educational attainment as the most significant factor in crime prevention, with higher education and school attendance reducing recidivism, while greater substance abuse correlates with instability and criminality, leading to key policy implications. (Click here for a project thesis).

• Evaluation of the San Bernardino Partner’s Aftercare Network (SPAN) program: led by Dale K.Sechrest

  • Assessing the impact of the mentally ill offender crime reduction aftercare program in San Bernardino, California (2006): Araseli De La Rosa

This study examines the San Bernardino Partner’s Aftercare Network (SPAN) program, developed under California’s Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction Grant (A.B. 1314). A sample of 306 participants from the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, all diagnosed as mentally ill by jail staff, was analyzed with a focus on their interactions with the Department of Mental Health. The study tracked the number of contacts, services provided, and re-arrest rates, highlighting the challenges of diagnosing and treating mentally ill individuals within correctional settings, particularly those with dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance abuse. Findings emphasize the need for further research and the development of effective programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of mentally ill individuals in jails. (Click here for a project thesis). 

• Evaluation of Day Treatment Drug Court in CA 

  • Determinants of Graduation from a Day Treatment Drug Court in California: A Preliminary Study (2001): led by Dale K. Sechrest and David Shicor

This paper focuses on an evaluation of the Riverside County (California) Drug Court Program, a post conviction program that operates much like most drug courts in the country. Riverside County has a large population of drug abusers. A recent study (Sechrest and Josi, 1996) showed that about 40% of the prison commitments from this county were for drug offenses (this figure did not include commitments for other crimes with drug involvement). The “Inland Empire,” comprising Riverside County and San Bernardino counties, is known as one of the highest, if not the highest, producers of methamphetamine in the nation. (Click here for the project publication)