- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Chastain Donates $100,000 to Create Endowed Criminal Justice Professorship in Father’s Memory at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 20:10:01 +0000

Sara Chastain, a registered nurse from Little Rock, has donated $100,000 to create an endowed professorship fund in memory of her father, the late Dr. Charles Chastain, who was the founder of the criminal justice program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “My father was more than just a good professor, he was a great dad and generally an all-around good person,” Chastain said. “He would go out of his way to help those who helped themselves. His legacy lives on in students and professors who strive for excellence in the criminal justice field.” Chastain is donating the first $100,000 of the $250,000 needed to endow the Dr. Charles D. Chastain Endowed Professorship in Criminal Justice Fund. Once endowed, the fund will establish an endowed professorship in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. “Dr. Chastain has made such an impact on so many different people in the criminal justice industry,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. “The goal of this professorship endowment is to help sustain his legacy and his impact on the university, faculty, staff, and students who meant the world to him.” The purpose of the fund is to attract and recruit highly qualified individuals as professors, supplement university support for outstanding faculty, and to provide the professor with the resources to continue and further the scholar’s contributions to teaching, research, and public service. Dr. Chastain, who passed away in 2015, was known as an excellent teacher who carried strong convictions that the liberal arts should be part of the criminal justice curriculum. Originally a member of the Department of Political Science, Dr. Chastain was the founding chair of the Department of Criminal Justice. With Chastain as a guiding force, the department eventually grew into one of the largest criminal justice programs in Arkansas with five degree programs, including the state’s only Ph.D. in criminal justice. He served as chair or coordinator of criminal justice at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from 1975 to 1997. Dr. Chastain retired from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2011, after serving a distinguished 39 years as a professor. “We are so thrilled that Sara, his beloved daughter, has chosen to help us honor him with her generous donation to the Charles D. Chastain Endowed Professorship,” said Dr. Mary Parker, a professor of criminal justice who knew Dr. Chastain for decades. “This is not the first donation from his family to honor Charles. Sara and her mother Judy have helped support a student scholarship in his honor for a number of years, and we are deeply grateful for their continuing generosity. With her latest donation, Sara will help us further honor Charles for all he has done for all of us and will help us continue his legacy for years to come.”

Sara Chastain is donating $100,000 for an endowed fund for criminal justice in honor of her father, Dr. Charles Chastain. Photo by Ben Krain.

Some of Dr. Chastain’s most well-known projects include developing a reentry into society program for inmates at the Wrightsville Unit of the Department of Correction as well as collecting book donations from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community for the Arkansas Department of Correction libraries. “He was a fierce defender of what is right, and he took on some of the most daunting challenges, many of them considered lost causes by others,” Parker said. “He never backed down, and he never faltered in his beliefs about second chances, bringing those with less opportunity to the forefront, and his certainty that everyone had value no matter their current circumstances.” Dr. Chastain’s legacy can be seen in the many students that he helped graduate and go on to lead fulfilling lives in the community. “Both Dr. Chastain and Dr. Parker were always encouraging and supportive, eager to see their CJ students secure career jobs post-graduation,” said Greg Shapiro, a ��Vlog��ý Little rock alumnus who is now chief of police for White Hall Police Department. “They inspired me to join the Student Government Association as a representative for the former College of Professional and Public Affairs. We helped on campus voter registration drives and recruitment events. Because of their sponsorship, I landed internships at LRPD and in Washington, D.C. for the United States Senate.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock officials plan to fully endow the fund by 2027 through donations from alumni and friends of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. For more information on how to donate to the Dr. Charles D. Chastain Endowed Professorship in Criminal Justice Fund, please contact Michael Johnson, director of development and external relations, at mdjohnson9@ualr.edu or 501-916-6442.

Law Enforcement Officer Plans to Give Back to the Next Generation of Criminal Justice Graduates

John Hill — Fri, 13 May 2022 13:30:06 +0000

Justin Williams, a longtime law enforcement officer, is working toward his goal of completing his college education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “Justin is a non-traditional student who decided to pursue higher education after 11 years of service as a police officer in Pine Bluff,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “His interest in criminal justice comes from his years of being a police officer, both municipal, and state. Justin is energetic, full of drive, and has a passion for teaching students” A law enforcement officer with 14 years of experience as a police officer and state trooper, Williams is well on his way to making the jump from police officer to professor. With just two courses left over the summer to complete his bachelor’s degree, he will begin the master’s degree program in criminal justice during the fall semester. “As I’m getting ready to graduate, I am very excited about the opportunity to join the graduate program,” Williams said. “It feels like a dream to go from a 2.1 GPA in high school to now qualify for a graduate program.” His ultimate goal is to earn his Ph.D. and then become a professor of criminal justice, where he can share his many years of experience in law enforcement with his students. “I can serve as a good reference point for students,” Williams said. “I have experience in the law enforcement community, and I can help build bridges between students, professors, and law enforcement officers. There are many people who are educated in the field, but they don’t have experience in the field. That’s an advantage to me as a faculty member. I have a good batch of knowledge that I can offer to my students. I can use my life experience of being in law enforcement to pay it forward by teaching the next generation of criminal justice students.” After graduating from high school in 1999, Williams started college at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He left after two years, having decided that college wasn’t for him at the time. After he became a full-time police officer in Pine Bluff in 2011, Williams decided to go back to school to earn his associate degree at Southeast Arkansas College. He became a state trooper in 2014. Williams transferred to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2017 and has spent a busy five years finishing his bachelor’s degree as he juggled multiple roles. He took a sabbatical from work in February to concentrate on his education. “When he started as a work-study student in criminal justice, he had multiple responsibilities,” ten Bensel said. “He was working as a full-time police officer, 20 hours a week at work study, a student, a husband, and a father of two young boys. Regardless of the number of responsibilities, he always came to work with a smile on his face and a determination to finish his education.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Ranked One of the Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Arkansas

John Hill — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:38:56 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s online criminal justice programs has been ranked one of the best in the state. The education resource website, Criminal Justice Degree Hub, ranked ��Vlog��ý Little Rock second in its list of the . “This recognition is really exciting for our faculty, staff, and students,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology. “As a school, we strive to provide the best possible education for our undergraduate and graduate students through our online and face-to-face campus programs. ” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s School of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Science degree in criminal justice through completely online programs. U.S. News and World Report also ranked ��Vlog��ý Little Rock 36th in the 2022 Best Criminology Schools in U.S. News’ . The Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice online degree program is designed for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, corrections, and juvenile and adult courts. This 120-hour degree program approaches the study of crime and justice with a unique blend of research and practice. The criminal justice major will explore topics in administration, criminal behavior, and a variety of correctional and criminal issues. The courses are taught by outstanding scholars who make major contributions in the community and in their discipline. The Master of Science in criminal justice is designed to help professionals who are already working in the field develop the essential knowledge and skills needed to become an effective practitioner or supervisor in the criminal justice system. It provides students with advanced academic training, special expertise in advanced issues within the criminal justice system, supervisory and administrative proficiency, and the methodological and statistical skills necessary to understand research and new developments in criminal justice. Graduates of this program will gain applied knowledge enabling them to rise toward the highest levels in criminal justice organizations. Criminal Justice Degree Hub ranked accredited schools based on tuition rate, student satisfaction, and graduate salary.

Tusty ten Bensel Selected for Arkansas Business 40 Under 40

John Hill — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 20:15:27 +0000

Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, associate professor and director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been selected for this year’s cohort of . Arkansas Business is thrilled to recognize 40 individuals that are making a significant impact in their companies, organizations, and community. The state’s rising stars are nominated by readers and chosen by the editors of Arkansas Business. “I am honored to be named as one of the recipients of the 40 under 40 Arkansas Business award,” ten Bensel said. “The 2022 recipients are truly impressive, and I am humbled to be among them.” As the school’s director, ten Bensel oversees five-degree programs, including an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees, one of which is fully online, as well as the state’s only doctorate program in criminal justice. She also serves as the director of the Justice Research and Policy Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, which works to cultivate, support, and disseminate research that is relevant to the State of Arkansas. The center provides data-driven research to policymakers, collaborates with state agencies, conducts program evaluations, and promotes evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. With a well-known reputation for her commitment to students and dedication to the community, ten Bensel has received the 2019 Faculty Excellence Award in Research and Creative Endeavors by the former College of Social Science and Communication and the 2018 “Educator of the Year” from the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation for Pulaski County, Arkansas. Over the past few years, ten Bensel has been involved in a number of contracts and grants that involved disproportionate minority contact among juveniles in the criminal justice system in Arkansas, community surveys of crime and safety, neighborhood characteristics and reentry, and system-involved youth mentoring. In addition, she is part of a team that is collecting data on personal transformation and identity changes among those who receive training and resources from Heifer International around the world. Her current research on hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ population and Muslim population in Arkansas will enable the community to better understand their lived experiences (discrimination, harassment, and victimization). Once the projects are done and the results have been assessed, she will join a team to advocate for resources and policy reform if needed. She received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in criminal justice as well as a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is also a graduate of the Women in Education Leadership program at the Harvard Business School and president of the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice. Profiles of the 40 honorees will be featured in a special supplement of Arkansas Business to be distributed on May 23. Presented by Bank OZK, an in-person luncheon ceremony with an interactive virtual experience will take place from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. June 8 at the DoubleTree, Little Rock. Tickets can be purchased online at .

��Vlog��ý Little Rock awarded $453,000 contract from Arkansas Department of Corrections to study state’s prison culture and climate

John Hill — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 16:45:59 +0000

The Arkansas Department of Corrections has awarded the University of Arkansas at Little Rock a multi-year contract of more than $453,000 to study and assess prison culture and climate in Arkansas. “This multi-year project, funded by existing DOC revenues, will be the first of its kind done on the State’s adult corrections system,” said Solomon Graves, cabinet secretary of Arkansas Department of Corrections. “It will not only review operational issues within the Divisions of Correction and Community Correction, along with the Correctional School District, it will study issues related to staff recruitment, retention, and the efficacy of offender programs.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock criminal justice professors Mary Parker, Robert Lytle, and Molly Smith will lead the four-year research project. “This is a project that I’ve been wanting to work on for a long time,” said Parker, the principal investigator. “I have more than 20 years of experience on the Board of Corrections. This research project is the next step in continuing my service to the state of Arkansas.” The study will be conducted from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2025. The $453,805 award also provides funding for a graduate assistant, Cassidy Mitchell, who is a criminal justice doctoral student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Our faculty in the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology continues to raise the bar in community-engaged research,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “This project is a great example of how our faculty and students engage with agency partners to improve our understanding of how the criminal justice system works, specifically in corrections.” Each individual correctional unit in the Arkansas Department of Corrections has a unique history, mission, and staffing as well as varied inmate, resident, and client makeup. Each unit in the state’s system will be studied individually before larger conclusions and recommendations are made for the Arkansas Department of Corrections as a whole.

Solomon Graves serves as cabinet secretary of Arkansas Department of Corrections.

The first phase will include studies on Cummins, Varner, East Arkansas, Tucker, and Tucker Max. Phase two will include Ouachita River, Wrightsville Complex, and Delta. Next, the third phase will include North Central, Grimes, McPherson, Pine Bluff units, and independent work release centers. The final phase of study will include Community Correction Centers and Probation and Parole Offices. “This has the potential to be a game-changer for the Department of Corrections. For the past decade, we have worked toward increasing our utilization of data-informed decision making,” Graves said. “Along with our newly created Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation unit, this ��Vlog��ý Little Rock partnership will give our Board and Leadership Team the type of actionable data we have only dreamed about.” The research project seeks to understand all aspects of prison life in Arkansas. To accomplish this, the research team will survey offenders, prison staff, family members of offenders, and volunteers. “We are one of the few large-scale projects that includes visitors and volunteers,” Parker said. “Families are a critical dynamic to incarceration and adding their perspective to the study gives us invaluable information on the impact of incarceration on friends and families of those incarcerated. Most people do not realize it but hundreds of volunteers work in prison providing religious programming, therapy groups, dog training, meditation, etc. for the inmate population. We will be surveying a sample of this population to gain their perspectives on what we can do better in our individual prison to improve multiple dynamics of the culture in prison.” The research team will also conduct focus groups with medical, educational programming, unit support, management, and training staff as well as probation and parole officers and staff members.

Dr. Bob Lytle

Dr. Molly Smith

“I am very excited about this project for several reasons,” Lytle said. “For example, I’m excited about the opportunity to learn more about and help inform practices related to correctional staffing. Corrections can be a challenging field to work in, but I believe it can be equally satisfying. Corrections staff have the ability to help people in need, protect the community, and provide a public service. My hope for this project is that, over the next several years, we will be able to support efforts to improve correctional work environments and inmate management.” At the end of the study, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will provide a final report with conclusions and recommendations about each unit in the prison system, a review of the educational programming throughout the system, recommendations with corresponding best practices for DOC administration, and recommendations to improve the culture and climate throughout the system. “As far back as early 2019, the now Division of Correction began discussing the need for an external review of various elements of our prison operations,” Graves said. “With the passage of Act 910 of 2019, the benefits of this project to the entire adult corrections system began being discussed. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock immediately came to the forefront as a natural partner for this project. The Department of Corrections has utilized doctoral interns from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Criminal Justice for several years. Additionally, multiple faculty members have conducted research projects involving our populations over the years and Dr. Mary Parker-Reed, a former Criminal Justice Department chairwoman, was a longtime member of the Board of Corrections who regularly advocated for a project of this scope during her tenure.” In the upper right photo, Dr. Mary Parker will lead the four-year research project along with fellow criminal justice professors Robert Lytle and Molly Smith.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives Nearly $325,000 NSF Grant to Shine Light on Muslim Hate Crimes in Arkansas

John Hill — Wed, 05 May 2021 20:00:29 +0000

Two criminal justice professors at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been awarded a $324,987 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a three-year program to study anti-Muslim sentiment and Muslim hate crimes in Arkansas. Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology, and Dr. Robert Lytle, the graduate coordinator for the school, will examine the context and incidence of anti-Muslim sentiment, ranging from prejudice to hate crimes. The study will focus on the perceptions of Muslims in Arkansas who have been the target of discrimination, harassment, or interpersonal crime, along with the impacts such behaviors have on victims. The NSF grant also includes funding for 30 undergraduate students to participate in the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of this project. Students who are interested in criminal justice and graduate education will be selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to work with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock criminal justice faculty members on this project beginning in summer 2022. The program will run for three eight-week summer sessions. In the first year, students will learn how to conduct research and interview 15-30 Muslims in the community on their experiences of hate crimes in Arkansas. Interviewees must be 18 and older and a resident of the state for at least six months. In the second year, students will distribute surveys to a larger Muslim population in the state. In the final year, they will interview policy makers and law enforcement about hate crime legislation. “It’s important to understand the scope and contributing factors to a problem when coming up with strategies to address the problem. We hope that this project will help identify the manner in which bias-motivated crime emerges in Arkansas to help efforts by law enforcement and policymakers to protect the Muslim community,” Lytle said. “This is in addition to promoting community cohesion and improved relations between the Muslim and non-Muslim community in Arkansas.” The goal of this project is to help criminal justice students gain a deeper understanding of the scope and magnitude of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the state. “One of the purposes of this study is to understand the nature and extent of anti-Muslim sentiments and hate crimes in Arkansas, but it is also to help victims understand that their anti-Muslim experiences and victimization are important to report to the authorities and are not experiences that should be tolerated by any members of a group,” ten Bensel said. “The outcome of this project could have a number of practical and policy implications. It will raise awareness of anti-Muslim hate crimes and the obstacles to social integration, reporting, and seeking support after experiencing anti-Muslim hate crimes. The larger study will inform avenues for improving the relationship between the criminal justice system and Muslim community.” This project is funded by the National Science Foundation under award number 2050161. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are of those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate programs named to 2022 U.S. News and World Report Rankings

John Hill — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 19:19:12 +0000

Several graduate programs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were named in the 2022 Best Graduate School rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Some of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s top graduate programs listed in the most recent U.S. News and World report include: 36th in Best Criminology Schools, 39th in Best Part-time Law Programs, and 111th in Best Public Affairs Programs. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock also ranked in the #154-202 category in Best Engineering Schools. “These rankings from U.S. News and World Report confirm what we have known for some time,” said Dr. Brian Berry, vice provost of research and dean of the Graduate School. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has a lot to offer in graduate education. These programs are shining examples of the great things that happen at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Criminal Justice has been ranked 36th in the . The School of Criminal Justice is home to the state’s only doctoral program in criminal justice as well as two master’s degree programs, one of which is completely online. “We are thrilled that our Criminal Justice and Criminology program is being nationally recognized by the U.S. News and World Report,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, director of the School of Criminal Justice. “Our school is dedicated to ensuring that we provide the best possible education for our undergraduate and graduate students through innovative teaching strategies, one-on-one mentoring, and community-engaged research. It’s exciting that our colleagues across the nation see this too.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law has been ranked 39th among the . Part-time law programs play a vital role in legal education, as they allow working professionals to balance a career while earning a law degree through evening and weekend courses. Bowen offers the only part-time law program in Arkansas. In specialty rankings, Bowen was ranked 25th in Best Legal Writing Programs and 52nd in Best Dispute Resolution Programs. Bowen has also been noted as one of the law schools where graduates have considerably lower average indebtedness and graduate with an average student loan debt of under $70,000. “We are pleased our part-time program has been recognized by U.S. News,” said Dean Theresa Beiner. “With our location in the state capital and our low student debt, we are proud to offer our working students a quality education that allows them to accomplish their career goals.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock School of Public Affairs brings together academic, applied research, and training units that share a focus on government, politics, nonprofit organizations, and public service. The School of Public Affairs houses a Master of Public Administration degree as well as graduate certificate programs in nonprofit management and conflict mediation. The program has been ranked 111th in .

��Vlog��ý Little Rock researchers investigate if religion predicts attitudes toward LGBQ, marriage equality

John Hill — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:31:37 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock researchers are investigating the attitudes of Muslims toward homosexuality and marriage equality. Drs. Robert Lytle and Tusty ten Bensel, professors of criminal justice at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and Tabrina Bratton, a criminal justice doctoral student, recently published their study, “Attitudes of Muslim Americans toward Homosexuality and Marriage Equality: Moving Beyond Simply Understanding Christian Public Opinions,” in the academic journal Sociological Inquiry. Much research has been done that shows a relationship between a person’s religious affiliation and attitude toward LGBQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Questioning) individuals. Since these studies have largely focused on Christians, the researchers wanted to see if religiosity and fundamentalism were significant predictors of attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage in other major religious populations in the U.S. “Most people look at Christian attitudes toward the LGBTQ population, so we explored Christian attitudes in comparison to Muslims and Jews, two large religious groups that have largely been ignored in this area,” Bratton said. Like Christian religiosity and fundamentalism, religious salience (the relative importance of religion in an individual’s personal life) predicted less accepting attitudes toward homosexuality and opposition to same-sex marriage among Jewish and Muslim respondents. “One explanation for these findings might be that more conservative denominations are less accepting of outgroups and deviations from religious doctrine,” Bratton said. “Denominations that adhere to more rigid, traditional attitudes about sexuality may be more likely to identify homosexuality as deviant, event to the degree of being considered a sin.” The researchers found that Muslim and Protestant participants were the least accepting of homosexuality and least supportive of same-sex marriage compared with Roman Catholic and Jewish participants. This finding did not surprise the researchers. Islam is a conservative religion, and religious conservatism, along with fundamentalism and religiosity, were significant predictors of attitudes toward homosexuality and marriage equality for all respondents, regardless of religious affiliation. “When people aren’t heavily fundamentalist, it doesn’t matter what religion they are. They generally support same-sex marriage,” Lytle said. “When you get to people with higher levels of fundamentalism and religious conservatism, you see much less support for same-sex marriage and acceptance of homosexuality. While Catholics and Jews, for example, are very similar in their religious beliefs, more conservative Jews at higher levels of fundamentalism have similar beliefs as Muslims and Protestants on these issues. At low levels of fundamentalism, Jews were the most supportive denomination regarding acceptance of homosexuality and marriage equality” Catholics and Jews were different in their agreement that homosexuality should be accepted in society, yet statistically similar in support for marriage equality. Catholics are more likely to accept homosexuality, while Jews are more likely to support marriage equality. Catholics and Jews are still more tolerant of both subjects than Protestants and Muslims. Data for the study came from the 2014 Religious Landscape Study, a public opinion dataset that contained responses from 475 Jews and 135 Muslims. Attitudes were compared against responses from Catholics and Protestants. The researchers hope that this study will also call attention to the low number of Muslim respondents in public opinion datasets, which makes it difficult to research opinions in the Muslim community. “The article calls for public opinion datasets to include a larger population of Muslim responses,” Lytle said. “Islam is one of the fastest growing religious populations in the country. There is a growing need for us to understand the political and social attitudes of this population.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to ‘Take Back the Night’ April 10

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 16:59:53 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is joining a nationwide effort to raise awareness of sexual violence and human trafficking by hosting the “ event on Wednesday, April 10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., while the event will begin at 6 p.m. in Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter Hall. It will feature a community fair of organizations and agencies who provide services, resources, and advocate for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. Speakers will include representatives from Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ACASA) and survivors of sexual assault as well as a performance by singer Tara Riley of the band Moxie. The event will conclude with a candlelit vigil and march across campus to show support for those affected by sexual violence beginning at 8 p.m. “April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so we are holding this educational event to bring awareness of sexual assault to our students and our community,” said Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, graduate coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice and the event’s organizer. One in four women and one in six to eight men will experience sexual violence in their lifetimes. College-aged women (18-24) are three times more likely to be victims of sexual violence, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). “One of my research areas is looking at sexual violence against women and children internationally and domestically,” ten Bensel said. “One of those areas that I find dear to my heart is helping victims get the services they need and providing solid research in how we can reduce victimization from happening in the future.” For more information, contact ten Bensel at ixzohra@ualr.edu.

Outstanding Women of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock: Tusty ten Bensel

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 21:52:48 +0000

In honor of Women’s History Month, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is featuring stories about the “Outstanding Women of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” faculty, staff, students, and alumni who are serving as leaders and making a difference for the university and their communities. Dr. Tusty ten Bensel, graduate coordinator and associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, is a firm believer in using her research to make positive changes in the world. “One of my research areas is looking at sexual violence against women and children, both internationally and domestically,” she said. “My goal is to provide solid research on sexual victimization, offending patterns, and how we can reduce victimization from happening in the future. I hope my research paves the way to reform and sheds more light on what happens in our communities.” Ten Bensel is a premier scholar specializing in violence and victimology in the criminal justice field with over 20 published articles in peer-reviewed journals, two books completed, and multiple grants. One of the ways she is giving back is by organizing ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s “Take Back the Night” event on Wednesday, April 10. The event, which was held at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for the first time last year, is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of sexual violence and human trafficking. Statistically, college-aged women (18-24) are three times more likely to be victims of sexual violence, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). “The reason we do this event is to bring awareness of sexual assault on college campuses and the community,” ten Bensel said. “The more educated we are about sexual assault on our campus and the community, the more likely we are to reduce the amount of sexual assault that occurs in our state.” She is a founding and current board member of Sex Offense Policy Research, a national organization that focuses on policy research in sexual offending and victimization. Additionally, ten Bensel is an active mentor who is involved with multiple research studies with students. “My students are gathering data on end-of-life care in corrections and the life histories of violent female offenders,” she said. “I also have students who are working on identifying services available for victims of sexual violence in Arkansas, neighborhoods and reentry into society after being in the criminal justice system, and homeless LGBT youth and their experiences with victimization.” In 2018, ten Bensel was awarded the College of Social Sciences and Communication Innovative Program award for the Juvenile Justice Mentoring Program. The mentoring program began years ago after criminal justice faculty members received a grant. “When the funding dissipated, the program ended,” ten Bensel said. “I really liked the idea of our students learning how to work with and learn from different agencies and stakeholders in the juvenile justice community as well as being good role models for our youth who need that extra support.” Ten Bensel restarted the program in 2017 with four pairs of mentors and mentees for both academic years. She’s added several educational and social components to the program. Mentors learn about the best practices in the juvenile justice system and meet with a variety of guest speakers, including judges, lawyers, guards, detectives, and community advocates. The mentees also learn about financial literacy, education opportunities, and employment preparation. “We’ve also incorporated hands-on activities so the mentors and mentees stay bonded together,” she said. “We’ve gone to a Trojan basketball game, went bowling, and had a college day where the mentees shadowed their mentors at college all day. These kids come to campus and are unaware that they could go to college. It’s seems so unattainable to them. I hope it will help the mentees stay out of the criminal justice system. Even if we can pave the path of one mentee of going to college or getting a full-time job and staying off the streets, I think we have done our job.” She is also the director of the Justice Research Policy Center at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. This summer research program, currently in its second year, provides an opportunity for criminal justice students in Arkansas to participate in a one-month intensive research course. “Students learn how to conduct research step-by-step and work with criminal justice professors to collect and analyze data, write a research study, and present it on campus as well as at a regional or national conference,” ten Bensel said. “Students live in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s dorms and receive a $2,000 stipend. All four of last year’s participants have joined or are about to join our criminal justice graduate program.” Ten Bensel graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and criminal justice and a master’s degree in criminal justice. She received her Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha. She is also a member of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, the American Society of Criminology, has completed the Women in Education Leadership program conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and received the 2018 Educator of the Year award from the Single Parent Scholarship Foundation of Arkansas. For women who are looking to work in the criminal justice field, ten Bensel offers the following advice. “I would advise females to figure out what their passion is within criminal justice,” she said. “Doing research in criminal justice can be extremely difficult because we are going out into the field and talking to victims and offenders. It can take an emotional toll. I would find the one area you are dedicated to and see where that leads you. At the end of the day, I think that is what will keep you grounded.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Chastain Donates $100,000 to Create Endowed Criminal Justice Professorship in Father’s Memory at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Law Enforcement Officer Plans to Give Back to the Next Generation of Criminal Justice Graduates

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Ranked One of the Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Arkansas

Tusty ten Bensel Selected for Arkansas Business 40 Under 40

����Vlog��ý Little Rock awarded $453,000 contract from Arkansas Department of Corrections to study state’s prison culture and climate

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Receives Nearly $325,000 NSF Grant to Shine Light on Muslim Hate Crimes in Arkansas

����Vlog��ý Little Rock’s graduate programs named to 2022 U.S. News and World Report Rankings

����Vlog��ý Little Rock researchers investigate if religion predicts attitudes toward LGBQ, marriage equality

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to ‘Take Back the Night’ April 10

Outstanding Women of ����Vlog��ý Little Rock: Tusty ten Bensel