About the Office of Forensic Social Work Research and Training
The office of Forensic Social Work Research and Training was established to explore questions and issues related to the application of professional social work expertise to legal matters. Forensic social work is one of the fastest growing sub-specialties in the profession of social work. Broadly speaking, it refers to the various interactions between the fields of law and social work.
The primary mission of the office is to promote social work's contributions to the understanding of law and the legal system with a special focus on investigating child welfare, mental health, and criminal justice/law interactions. The goals of the office are to:
- Promote research and evaluation of forensic social work practice.
- Educate social workers in forensic matters and legal personnel in social work matters.
- Conduct research on the assessment, classification, and treatment of adult and juvenile offenders.
- Contribute to the development of best practices for treating victims of crime.
- Research mental health issues in the civil and the criminal justice systems.
- Promote the establishment of community partnerships with courts and justice agencies concerned with the continuous improvement of social work and law interactions.
The Office currently is involved in projects dealing with institutional reform litigation for the seriously mentally ill, mitigation of criminal punishment in capital murder cases, reducing violent recidivism in offenders diagnosed with serious mental disorders, group trauma and abuse interventions for treating at-risk women in community and in prison settings, exploring juvenile and adult criminal behavior and mental health interactions, and identifying offender profiles for serious juvenile offenders.
The Office research projects involve bachelors and graduate students, community partners and research partners from other universities.
The office will be responsible for advising students involved in the School of Social Work’s joint MSW/JD and MSW/MLS programs.
Leadership and Affiliates
Leadership and Affiliates
José B. Ashford, MSW, PhD, LCSW Director
Dominque Roe-Sepowitz, MSW, PhD Associate Director
Advisory Board Members
Aaron J. Carreon-Ainsa, J.D, Chief Assistant City Prosecutor, City of Phoenix.
Nancy Diggs, Court Monitor, Maricopa County Superior Court, Office of the Monitor.
Andre Ivanoff, Associate Professor of Social Work, Columbia University School of Social Work.
Melissa Kupferberg, MSW. Investigator Federal Public Defender Office, Tampa, Florida.
Ken Murray, BSW, JD, Assistant Federal Public Defender. Phoenix, Arizona
Albert R. Roberts (deceased), Professor of Criminal Justice and Social Work, Rutgers University.
Bruce D. Sales, PhD, J.D., Director of the Psychology and Law Program. University of Arizona.
Luigi Solivetti, PhD, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Faculty of Statistical Sciences, University of
Rome.
Faculty Research Affiliates
Peg Bortner, Community Resources and Development
Evelyn Cruz, College of Law
Robert R. Dauber, College of Law
Nora Gustafason, School of Social Work
Katie Karriker-Jaffer, University of California Berkley
Yasmina Katsulis, Women and Gender Studies
Judy Krysik, School of Social Work
Christina Risley-Curtis, School of Social Work
Program Partners
Arizona Department of Economic Security
Arizona Capital Representation Project
Office of the Court Monitor, Maricopa County Arizona
City of Phoenix Diversion Programs, City Prosecutor’s Office
Monterey County Department of Health Services
Graduate Student Research Affiliates
Blythe Fitzharris
Briana Frenzel
Erica Galietta
Valencia Johnson
Candice Kochis
Kristi Langhoff
Janice Lynch
Sylvia Martinez