Brett Garland
Professor and Department Head, Criminology and Criminal Justice | Missouri State University
Springfield, MO, UNITED STATES
Dr. Garland's research interests include stress and job satisfaction among criminal justice professionals and prisoner reentry.
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Biography
Dr. Brett Garland's primary research interests are in the areas of stress and job satisfaction among criminal justice professionals, prisoner reentry, program evaluation and public opinion on justice-related topics.
Industry Expertise (3)
Corrections
Education/Learning
Research
Areas of Expertise (4)
Criminal Justice Management and Staff
Prisoner Reentry
Program Evaluation
Public Opinion Studies
Education (3)
University of Nebraska at Omaha: Ph.D., Criminology and Criminal Justice 2007
Indiana State University: M.A., Criminology and Criminal Justice 2001
Indiana State University: B.S., Criminology and Criminal Justice 1997
Minor: Philosophy
Affiliations (4)
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Liaison to the American Probation and Parole Association
- National Institute of Corrections: Community Corrections and Academic Planning Workgroup Member
- American Probation and Parole Association Research Committee Member
- Grant Reviewer for the National Institute of Justice
Links (3)
Media Appearances (3)
Using arrest data to strengthen public safety
Missouri State University News online
2016-03-24
What factors contribute to higher rates of domestic violence? How can the state of Missouri allocate resources to respond to instances of domestic violence more effectively? Dr. Brett Garland, associate professor of criminology, and Dr. Ron Malega, associate professor of geography, both at Missouri State University, recently received more than $50,000 from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to map trends of domestic violence across the state of Missouri.
Armed with 25 years of data, MSU professors begin to map domestic violence
Springfield News-Leader print
2016-05-07
With reports of assaults continuing to increase and the city's only victims' shelter running at capacity, it's clear that domestic violence is a problem in Springfield. But how does Greene County compare with other parts of the state? What social factors here might be contributing to the problem? And are domestic assaults usually committed by career criminals or people who don't commit other crimes? Those are among the questions two professors at Missouri State University are hoping to answer as they begin a research project they say is unlike anything done before in Missouri, and possibly the country.
Whom Would Jesus Lock Up? How Christians View Crooks
Newsweek online
2016-01-20
Clarence Darrow was right: Religion guides how harshly people view criminal defendants and felons. “If a Presbyterian enters the jury box and carefully rolls up his umbrella, and calmly and critically sits down, let him go,” the famed defense attorney wrote in a 1936 essay for Esquire, “How to Pick a Jury.” “He is cold as the grave; he knows right from wrong, although he seldom finds anything right. He believes in John Calvin and eternal punishment.” A new study by Brett Garland, a professor at Missouri State University, backs up Darrow’s advice, finding that belief in a vengeful God will lead a person to oppose programs that help prisoners re-enter society, while a person who believes in a loving and forgiving God is more likely to support those programs.
Event Appearances (4)
A ‘How To’ on Assessing and Reducing Stress, Burnout, and Dissatisfaction among Probation and Parole Officers
Workshop at the American Probation and Parole Association Winter Training Institute (2016) Atlanta, GA
Offender Perceptions of Sanctions and Incentives: The 17th Judicial District of Colorado
Presentation at the Adams County Probation Office (2015) Westminster, CO
Understanding and Addressing Burnout for Probation and Parole Officers
Workshop at the Missouri Corrections Association and Missouri Probation and Parole Association Joint Fall Conference (2015) Lake Ozark, MO
Addressing the Gap: Improving Knowledge/Skills Related to Community Corrections of Graduates of Criminal Justice Programs
Workshop at the American Probation and Parole Association Annual Training Institute (2015) Los Angeles, CA
Research Grants (3)
Neighborhood-level Analysis of Domestic Violence in Missouri
Bureau of Justice Statistics $54,248.00 (subcontracted through the Missouri State Highway Patrol )
Principal Investigator 2015-2017
Evaluation of a Face Forward-Serving Juvenile Offenders Grant
U.S. Department of Labor $30,000.00 (subcontracted through SLATE in St. Louis)
Principal Investigator 2013-2015
Evaluation of You Only Live Once (YOLO) Saint Louis – Reentry Program
Second Chance Act Reentry Project, Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs $50,202.00 (subcontracted through SLATE in St. Louis)
Principal Investigator 2013-2015
Minds-Eye (1)
Keeping parolees out of jail
The average annual cost of housing an inmate in the United States is more than $30,000 – which is eight to 10 times more expensive than supervising a parolee. Developing programs to reduce recidivism helps former inmates successfully reintegrate into society, but also saves taxpayers huge amounts of money. Dr. Brett Garland, head of the department of criminology and criminal justice at Missouri State University, has been studying the criminal justice system for over a dozen years.
Articles (5)
Preparing Community Supervision Officers through Undergraduate Education: A Study of Academic and Practitioner Expectations
Journal of Criminal Justice Education
2017 Although community corrections courses have existed in universities for decades, studies have yet to explore whether the depth and breadth of academic preparation is meeting practitioner needs. In many jurisdictions across the country, community supervision officers receive little pre-service training, making classroom learning a very important component for job preparation. Using survey data collected from members of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and American Probation and Parole Association, this study examines university faculty and community corrections practitioner expectations regarding topical coverage in undergraduate coursework relevant to the community corrections field.
What Influences Public Support of Transitional Housing Facilities for Offenders During Reentry?
Criminal Justice Policy Review
2017 Transitional housing facilities for released prison inmates have existed in the United States since the early 1800s and are a promising strategy to aid offender reintegration. One recurring obstacle to the successful implementation and sustainability of these facilities is public resistance. Unfortunately, very little is known regarding what influences public support or opposition specifically for offender-based transitional housing. The current study examines how support for transitional housing centers may vary among residents of a Midwestern state based on the proximity of the facility and the types of offenders living there.
Responding to Probation and Parole Violations: Are Jail Sanctions More Effective than Community-Based Graduated Sanctions?
Journal of Criminal Justice
2015 In response to escalating revocation rates in community supervision, many jurisdictions have adopted graduated sanction policies. Research on graduated sanctions has shown promising results. However, most studies focus exclusively on jail sanctions and have largely ignored the possibility that community-based graduated sanctions such as written assignments, increased treatment participation, or community service hours may be as effective, or more effective, than jail sanctions. Extending this research, the current study examines whether community-based sanctions are as effective in increasing offender compliance as spending time in jail.
Decarceration and Its Possible Effects on Inmates, Staff, and Communities
Punishment & Society
2014 Few current criminal justice scholars, practitioners, and politicians expected to witness the phenomenon of decreasing correctional populations. Yet, there is evidence at local, state, and regional levels of significant declines in the growth of incarceration and even decreases in the size of prisoner populations. In this article we delineate the extent of decarceration and examine the context in which it has occurred. We then explore possible positive and negative outcomes resulting from decarceration and conclude with an agenda for advancing a decarceration movement.
Value Conflict and Public Opinion Toward Prisoner Reentry Initiatives
Criminal Justice Policy Review
2013 The dramatic growth in the incarceration rate since the mid-1970s has unintentionally resulted in massive numbers of people being released from prison each year. Consequently, prisoner reentry initiatives are receiving greater attention than ever before. At this point few studies have looked at public support for reentry initiatives, and the existing ones have taken a rather general and atheoretical approach. The current study explores public opinion toward a wide range of reentry policies and practices through a value conflict framework.