Roberto Hugh Potter, interim chair and research director\u00a0for the Department of Criminal Justice,\u00a0has received the\u00a0Peter P. Lejins Research Award\u00a0for 2014 from the American Correctional Association. <\/p>\n
The award is given in memory of pioneering\u00a0researcher Peter Lejins and is\u00a0the highest honor bestowed on a corrections researcher by the national association. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lejins Award is given to an individual who has produced significant research for the correctional community and has demonstrated personal commitment and contribution to improve the profession of corrections,\u201d said James Gondles, ACA’s executive director. <\/p>\n
Potter has conducted research and published extensively in the areas of crime and health,\u00a0and particularly in areas where health systems and correctional systems intersect.<\/p>\n
His\u00a0current\u00a0research interests include\u00a0jail-based re-entry programs, community corrections and juvenile justice\u00a0in the region.\u00a0He places\u00a0an emphasis on\u00a0physical and mental health issues in and interventions with correctional populations.<\/p>\n
In addition, Potter is working\u00a0on substance abuse-related problems in criminal justice. He and Assistant Professor Jacinta Gau are collaborating on a study of efforts to reduce the impact of \u201cpill mills\u201d in Florida\u00a0with support from the National Institute of Justice.<\/p>\n
The ACA presented Potter with\u00a0the Lejins’ award\u00a0at\u00a0its\u00a0Feb. 4 meeting\u00a0in Tampa.\u00a0In addition to recognizing his research, the ACA highlighted\u00a0Potter’s contributions to the development of the Prison Rape Elimination Act Standards and\u00a0a\u00a0range of \u201cscience to service\u201d activities.<\/p>\n
Potter thanked his colleagues over the years and the ACA leadership for their support of his work in bridging the academic, government and practice worlds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe greatest contribution academic- and government-based researchers can make is to translate the basic research of the university into the hands of practitioners, either as teachers or consultants to the field,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cMy hope is to inspire the next generation of researchers to do this, regardless of where they happen to be employed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Potter is a native of Florida. He earned his\u00a0bachelor’s degree in psychology\u00a0and sociology (’75)\u00a0at the University of South Florida and his master’s degree and doctorate in sociology (’77 and\u00a0’82, respectively) at the University of Florida.\u00a0He has served as a researcher, educator and manager in education, nonprofit, and state and federal organizations over his work history. Potter joined the Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ faculty in 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roberto Hugh Potter, interim chair and research director\u00a0for the Department of Criminal Justice,\u00a0has received the\u00a0Peter P. Lejins Research Award\u00a0for 2014 from the American Correctional Association. The award is given in memory of pioneering\u00a0researcher Peter Lejins and is\u00a0the highest honor bestowed on a corrections researcher by the national association. \u201cThe Lejins Award is given to an individual who has produced significant…","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":57525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,23],"tags":[8464,7898],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-57491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-research","tag-department-of-criminal-justice","tag-roberto-hugh-potter"],"yoast_head":"\n