Howard Sapers

Visiting Professor, University of Ottawa, Former Correctional Investigator of Canada, Canada

Currently, Howard runs his own consulting practice and partners with government and non-government clients, providing policy and operational guidance in the social and justice sectors. Howard has successfully adapted the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules Compliance Checklist for Canadian implementation for use as a transitional housing option for hard-to-house clients leaving incarceration. Additionally, he was chosen as one of five corrections experts to assist a Middle Eastern country working on modernizing correctional operations, moving from punishment to rehabilitation. In this role, Howard generated foundational comparator country reports and helped create a roadmap for change. He recently conducted a comprehensive analysis of the use of force in a Canadian provincial correctional service, resulting in new training requirements, policy reform, improved workplace safety, and enhanced oversight and accountability. Previous work has included a policy, operational, and oversight review of use of force in a Canadian jurisdiction, an exploration of the percussors to institutional violence, a deep examination of the problematic use of segregation, and the development of comprehensive operational, policy and legislative reform in a Canadian province.

Professor Rosemary Ricciardelli

Professor and Research Chair: Safety, Security, and Wellness, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli is Professor (PhD, Sociology) in the School of Maritime Studies and Research Chair in Safety, Security, and Wellness, at Memorial University’s Fisheries and Marine Institute. Elected to the Royal Society of Canada, her research centers on evolving understandings of gender, vulnerabilities, risk, and experiences and issues within different facets of the criminal justice system and among mariners. She has published 12 books, 235+ journal articles and 50+ chapters all in the areas of PSP, criminalized persons, and wellness – broadly defined. As a sex and gender researcher, her interests lay in the social health, identity construction, and lived experiences of individuals. She leads a longitudinal study on the mental health and well-being experiences of correctional officers employed by Correctional Services Canada.

Dr Danielle Rudes

Professor, Sam Houston State University, United States

Danielle S. Rudes, Ph.D. is a Professor of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Sam Houston State University. She is also the Deputy Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!). She is currently a Fellow with the Bureau of Justice Assistance with a focus on Enhancing Correctional Spaces and Cultures. Dr. Rudes is an expert qualitative researcher with over 20 years of experience working with corrections agencies. She is recognized for her work examining how social control organizations and their staff and clients understand, negotiate, and at times, resist change. Dr. Rudes has a broad grant portfolio with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the National Institute of Justice. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT). Her book, Surviving Solitary: Living and Working in Restricted Housing Units (2022, Stanford University Press) offers an unprecedented look inside RHUs—and a resounding call to more vigorously confront the intentions and the realities of these carceral structures. It is the winner of the 2023 Outstanding Book Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.