Criminal Justice: Awards

Please note that all nominations/submissions associated with the following three CJPS awards must be received by January 31, and forwarded to Alisha Salerno, Director-At-Large, Awards Coordinator (alisha.salerno@torontomu.ca). The awards will be presented at the upcoming conference of the Canadian Psychological Association in June.

For further details on CJPS awards and past award recipients, see the following link: https://cpa.ca/aboutcpa/cpasections/criminaljusticepsychology/criminaljusticeawards. If you have specific questions about any of the awards, please contact Dr. Natalie Jones (nataliejenniferjones@gmail.com).

J. Stephen Wormith Graduate Research Award

J. Stephen Wormith was an inspiring advocate and educator of forensic and correctional psychological practices in Canada and internationally. He was a professor in the Department of Psychology, and Director, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science and Justice Studies, at the University of Saskatchewan. His research on risk assessment, correctional interventions, crime prevention, and public attitudes towards offenders and criminal justice have had a major impact in the field. He has had a significant influence developing the next generation of researchers, clinicians, and advocates in the field of criminal justice psychology.

The Criminal Justice Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association is honouring Dr. Wormith’s legacy by presenting the Graduate Research Award to one successful applicant in recognition of their graduate level research in the field of psychology that examines criminal behaviour, the law, and/or other psychological phenomena in a criminal justice context. This award was developed with the intent of recognizing research excellence of graduate-level criminal justice psychology students and is expected to be awarded annually. Submissions that will be considered for the J. Stephen Wormith Graduate Research Award will be reviewed and adjudicated by the section Executive and/or members of the Awards Subcommittee. Evaluation of submissions will focus on the extent to which the research builds upon theory and extant empirical literature, incorporates appropriate and innovative research design and analytical methods, and holds relevant implications for the field of criminal justice psychology. The award will be announced in the Crime Scene newsletter, on the Section website, and at the annual CPA convention.

If you would like to submit your graduate research for consideration, your submission should include (a) a cover letter containing a physical address, e-mail address, and telephone number, (b) a 100- to 150-word statement (included in your cover letter) of how the research contributes to criminal justice psychology, (c) a letter of support from your faculty supervisor, (d) an updated curriculum vitae, and (e) a manuscript of your graduate research as described below. Prior to submission, applicants should ensure adherence to the following eligibility criteria and submission guidelines:

• Only research completed as a graduate thesis or dissertation is eligible for award consideration.
• Only completed investigations are eligible and must have been completed (i.e., thesis or dissertation was defended or submitted to university committee) in the 12 months preceding the submission deadline.
• Applicant cannot be a former recipient of the award.
• Applicant, at the time of submission, should be a member of the Criminal Justice Psychology Section or in the process of becoming a member.
• Research should be prepared in the format of a manuscript submitted for publication, strictly adhering to APA 7^th edition style. The research and manuscript must be of publishable quality. Length is limited to 20 pages (min. 10 pages), excluding abstract, references, figures, and tables.

The recipient of this award in 2022 will receive $1,000, and will be asked to provide a summary of their research for publication in the Crime Scene newsletter. The award recipient will also be strongly encouraged to attend the CPA convention and present their research.

Recipients:

• 2023: Dr. Christopher Lively
• 202: Alexandra Zidenberg
• 2021: no award
• 2020: Chantal Schafers

Don Andrews Career Contribution Award

This award recognizes a corpus of work accrued over a period of at least 10 years that makes a significant contribution to our theoretical understanding and/or practices in criminal justice psychology and/or law. The contributions can be theoretical, empirical, or applied. For the theoretical and empirical works, the award would typically concern a series of published works that have had an important influence on the field. Signs of this influence could include changes in practices (e.g., widespread use of treatment or assessment methods; changes in the law) as well as recognition by the academic community (e.g., bibliometric indices, awards). The applied contributions would recognize leaders in the criminal justice field who have demonstrated excellence in one of the following areas: the creation and implementation of psychological services to offenders or to the courts, the teaching and mentoring of new psychologists, and management and administration.

Eligibility (all of the following criteria must be met):

The following items are included in the application package:

• Two nomination letters indicating how the nominee meets the criteria outlined above (at least one of the two nomination letters must be from a CJPS member)
• Nominee’s curriculum vitae
• Two first-authored research publications by the nominee appearing in peer reviewed journals

Other:

• Nominee is a CJPS member or in the process of becoming a CPJS member (Note: we will ensure this criterion is met prior to formally issuing the award)
• Nominee is not a former recipient of this award

The nominee’s application will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Productivity over time: Achievement must be the product of a career of contributions (over 10 years) as opposed to a single contribution, no matter how significant the contribution. A singular contribution might more appropriately be recognized by a CJPS Significant Contribution Award.
• High quality and innovation: The nominee must be an original thinker and/or creator whose work has established new frames of reference. Is their research or are their practical endeavours novel/sophisticated? This could involve cutting edge statistical or analytic approaches, a unique merging of ideas from different fields, developing a unique training approach, etc.
• Acclamation: The nominee must be recognized and known for superlative contributions to the field as evidenced by awards, invited talks, bibliometric indicators, etc.
• Practical implications: The nominee’s work has either direct or indirect practical implications for advancing and bettering the field of criminal justice.
• Impact: Considerations of a nominee’s impact may include the following:
  • Presentation of research findings at conferences
  • Specialized trainings or invited talks/workshops (consider venue/outlet, size/type of audience)
  • Media coverage of research
  • Instances where expertise is called upon (e.g., consultations; court testimony; service to the community, government agencies, or educational institution; community-engaged scholarship, etc.)
  • Impact of research on the community or larger society (e.g., their work changes policy/practice somewhere)
• Research citizenship and/or service to the profession: This criterion is also an indicator of leadership and influence in the field, and may include the following:
  • Grant and journal reviewing, including participation on editorial boards (consider role in journals, volume of activities, and prestige of journals)
  • Mentoring of other researchers (excludes practitioners but can include scientist/practitioners). Can include supervision of researchers in university or government settings.

Recipients:

*Career Contribution Award renamed the Don Andrews Career Contribution Award.

Significant Contribution Award

The Significant Contribution Award recognizes a specific work that has been recently completed (within the last year or two) that makes a significant contribution to the application of psychology to criminal behaviour, criminal justice, and/or law. The work could be theoretical, empirical, or applied. For the theoretical and empirical works, the award would typically be based on a paper published during the previous year in an academic or professional journal. The applied contributions would address the creation and implementation of psychological services to offenders, the courts, or the police, or recognize the publishing of a book or other resource that has made a significant contribution to the field (either applied or theoretical). The effective promotion and administration of psychologists and psychological services would also qualify as a significant contribution (e.g., setting up a treatment center, hiring 10 new psychologists). If a member of the section makes exceptional contributions on different years, then it is possible for the same individual to receive this award more than once.

Nominations for the Significant Contribution Award received by the Criminal Justice Psychology Section (CJPS) Executive must include a cover letter outlining how the nominee qualifies for the award, the nominee’s CV, and other supporting documentation (e.g., copy of the research article nominated as the “Significant Achievement”, a description of a treatment program/facility, numbers of citations in the Social Citation Index, and/or letters/testimonials from clients and coworkers).

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria outlined below, the nominated contribution will be assessed on measures of quality (i.e., anchored in theoretical/empirical evidence), innovation (i.e., offers something novel to the field), and potential impact (i.e., likelihood of influencing policy, practice, or public understanding of criminal justice issues).

Eligibility (all of the following criteria must be met):

The following items are included in the application package:

• 1 nomination letter indicating how the nominee meets the criteria outlined above (the nomination letter must be from a CJPS member)
• Nominee’s curriculum vitae
• Supporting documentation for the nomination (Note: This will vary by nomination but can include a copy of the journal article in question, reference to a book, testimonials from professionals in the field, citation metrics, etc.)

Other:

• Nominee is a CJPS member or in the process of becoming a CJPS member (Note: we will ensure this criterion is met prior to formally issuing the award)

Recipients:

Student Award Winners

Student awards are given to outstanding poster presentations as judged by a panel of CPA Criminal Justice Psychology Executive members.

Recipients:

Award Procedures

Nominations received by the Criminal Justice Section Executive must include a cover letter outlining how the nominee qualifies for the award, a Curriculum Vitae of the nominee and other supporting documentation. This documentation could include, for example, a copy of the research article nominated as the “Significant Achievement”, a description of a treatment program/facility, numbers of citations in the Social Citation Index, or letters/testimonials from clients and coworkers. The decision as to whether to give the award would be based on a vote of the full Criminal Justice Executive (including student members). Either, both or neither of (1) the Significant Contribution Award and (2) the Career Contribution Award could be given each year.

The award would be announced in Crime Scene and Psynopsis.  The Awards will be presented at the annual Canadian Psychological Association conference.

If you would like to nominate a colleague for either award, please forward the nomination to Section Chair.