Chad Posick has a B.S. degree in criminal justice and an
M.S. degree in public policy from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
He just finished his Ph.D in criminal justice from Northeastern University
in Boston, Massachusetts. He has worked with Project Safe Neighborhoods in
the Western District of New York as well as the Department of Criminal
Justice Service’s Project Impact. His research areas include restorative
justice, cognitive behavioral interventions and action research.
We talked about
Chad's research and study:
More Than a Feeling: Integrating Empathy Into the Study of Lawmaking,
Lawbreaking, and Reactions to Lawbreaking. "Empathy
is related, directly or indirectly, to important elements in criminology
such as the enactment of harsh penalties for repeat offenders, antisocial
behavior, feelings of legitimacy toward the law, and attitudes toward the
death penalty. Although empathy is beginning to find its way into
criminological discourse, it is still not well understood nor often
incorporated into quantitative research. "
The role
of empathy in policing, both empathy for and by the police, is
gaining attention from criminal justice researchers and
practitioners. While research on the effectiveness and importance
of empathy in policing is limited, the existing research indicates
that empathy increases perceptions of legitimacy and trust in the
police.
This panel discusses a range of issues related to
the role of empathy in criminal behavior, punishment, and policing
with a specific emphasis on training police on how to incorporate
empathy into their work. Sub
Conference: Justice
"By
now, no one is insulated from hearing about incidents of police
shootings or violence against police officers. While fatal shootings are
thankfully still rare events, this does not diminish the emotional
impact of hearing about a violent death....
Right now, it might seem impossible to eliminate the us-versus-them
mindset that permeates society, but optimistically, I do not think that
we are at an impasse. What we have to do is look at a trait that all
humans already possess: empathy.
Empathy: A basic human tool with great potential
Empathy has evolved in humans and other mammals over time. It allows us
to understand the emotions of others and share in those emotions.
Expressing empathy has many advantages: it increases cooperation (we
like to help each other out when we feel that we are understood),
reduces stress and it may even feel good."
The Role of Empathy in Crime, Policing, and
Justice
"Empathy refers to a person’s ability to understand the emotions of
others and share in their feelings. Researchers in many fields have
shown that empathy – or its absence – matters greatly in many aspects of
social life. For example, empathetic people are more likely to have
strong ties to family members and others with whom they regularly work
or interact. And individuals capable of empathy have higher self-esteem
and enjoy life more fully. The flip side is also true: people who have
trouble empathizing with others tend to suffer from poorer mental health
and have less fulfilling social relationships.
Researchers are showing that empathy also matters in crime and
punishment, and recent findings suggest important steps that can be
taken to reduce juvenile delinquency and improve relationships between
communities and police. How Empathy Matters...
Empathetic
people are less likely to engage in delinquency or crime.....
Empathy
affects how people think about crime and punishment in complex
ways....
Empathy and
perceptions of empathy help to shape the interactions of police and
members of the communities they are assigned to protect....."
Study:
More Than a Feeling: Integrating Empathy Into the Study of Lawmaking,
Lawbreaking, and Reactions to Lawbreaking 26 November, 2012:
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology "Empathy is related, directly or indirectly, to important
elements in criminology such as the enactment of harsh penalties for
repeat offenders, antisocial behavior, feelings of legitimacy toward the
law, and attitudes toward the death penalty. Although empathy is
beginning to find its way into criminological discourse, it is still not
well understood nor often incorporated into quantitative research. This
is likely due to issues regarding the conceptualization and measurement
of empathy as well as the lack of measures of empathy incorporated into
contemporary data sets.
This study discusses the importance of empathy for
criminology and uses a set of research examples to exemplify the
relationships between empathy and outcomes important to criminology.
Empathy emerges as an important predictor of criminal behavior, support
for harsh laws, and perceptions of police effectiveness. Future research
should incorporate measures of empathy when seeking to understand
individual feelings and behaviors as they relate to important facets of
criminology and criminal justice."
