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As part of our month-long focus on building awareness about sexual assault, AMU professor Michael Pittaro introduces us to Sarah Lovell, who survived and recovered from years of sexual abuse and drug and alcohol addiction. Sarah shares her story so others can understand the damage caused by sexual assault and why this crime needs to be prevented and offenders prosecuted. Read more about Sarah’s story and what she’s doing to help others.

At a dark time in U.S. history, the trans-Atlantic slave trade was at its peak, with more than 12 million people shipped to various nations only to endure punishing labor on farms and in factories, building railroads, and more. “Slavery was abolished 150 years ago and yet there are more people in slavery today than in any other time in our history,” said American Public University System (APUS) professor Michael Pittaro. Today, there are an estimated 21 million victims worldwide and only a small percentage of these victims are reported to authorities.

Human trafficking is a local issue. Read more about why community stakeholders and citizens gathered in West Virginia to learn how to recognize and fight human trafficking at the local level.

By Michael Pittaro and John Russ
In Military Education, Special Contributors

Research supports a strong correlation between criminal behavior or risk-taking behavior and those who suffer from TBI and/or PTSD. These disorders can adversely influence a veteran’s ability to control behavior and can lead to impulsivity, disinhibition, anger, and aggression.

Many of our veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of trauma suffered during their military service. Such disorders can adversely influence a veteran’s ability to control behavior and can lead to impulsivity, disinhibition, anger, and aggression. Unfortunately, such behavior can contribute to veterans violating the law. Learn more about the creation of veteran treatment courts, which provide the criminal justice system a way to respond proactively by assisting veterans rather than punishing them.

The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population, but 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. While spending on incarceration continues to increase, funding for education at every level—from Head Start to colleges and universities—continues to be cut each year. States now spend four times more per capita to incarcerate than to educate. Change must occur. Here’s how states could save money by prioritizing spending on education over incarceration.

Learning how to manage stress is critical for corrections officers who work in highly volatile and dangerous environments. High levels of stress can adversely impact an officer’s professional performance and personal life, therefore, it’s important for officers to learn what is causing their stress and healthy strategies to properly manage it.

Throughout my 20-year career in corrections, I learned about the various causes of and responses to prisoner suicides, but very little (if any) attention was paid to the issue of correctional officer suicides. However, research finds that corrections officers have a suicide rate that is twice as high as the rate of police officers and the general population. Agencies must equip their EAPs to better address mental health and trauma as well as educate officers (and their families!) about indicators of suicide in officers. 

By Dr. Michael Pittaro

Those who have worked or are currently working in corrections agree that job satisfaction and morale in corrections is, and always has been, low in comparison to other criminal justice professions. Learn why corrections leaders must work to shift leadership practices from punitive-style correctional leadership practices to transformational, coaching, and mentoring leadership practices.