Dr. Lisa Peterson

Director, Behavioral Health Services, Management & Training Corporation (MTC), United States

Dr. Lisa Peterson is a licensed psychologist who received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology summa cum laude from the University of North Dakota in 2011. From 2012 to 2021, Dr. Peterson was the clinical director at the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she oversaw the behavioral health service provision for the department. Dr. Peterson joined Management & Training Corporation in August 2021 as the Director of Behavioral Health Services within the Corrections Division of the corporate office. Dr. Peterson specializes in motivational enhancement, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and correctional program management. She has worked extensively in implementing evidence-based correctional practices, reducing the use of solitary confinement, and developing prison and community-based services. Her passion lies in smart, effective criminal justice reform that creates safer and healthier communities and includes access to a full continuum of behavioral healthcare. Dr. Peterson received the 2017 North Dakota Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service-Frontier Award for Continuous Learning and Innovation.

Dr. Paula Smith

Assistant Director, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, USA

Dr. Paula Smith is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick, Saint John in 2006. Her research interests include offender classification and assessment, correctional rehabilitation, the psychological effects of incarceration, program implementation and evaluation, the transfer of knowledge to practitioners and policy-makers, and meta-analysis. She is co-author of Corrections in the Community, and has also authored more than thirty journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Smith has directed numerous federal and state funded research projects, including studies of prisons, community-based correctional programs, juvenile drug courts, probation and parole departments, and mental health services. Furthermore, she has been involved in evaluations of more than 280 correctional programs throughout the United States. In addition to her research experience, Dr. Smith has considerable frontline experience working with a variety of offender populations, including juvenile offenders, sex offenders, and perpetrators of domestic violence.  Currently, she provides training and technical assistance to criminal justice agencies throughout the United States and Canada. Paula undertook her doctoral work in at the University of New Brunswick. She was previously a Research Associate with the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at the University of New Brunswick. She has also been involved in the development and delivery of treatment programs to federal parolees with the Correctional Service of Canada. Her research interests include meta-analysis, the assessment of offender treatment and deterrence programs, the development of actuarial assessments for clinicians and managers in prisons and community corrections, the effects of prison life, treatment responsivity, and the transfer of knowledge to practitioners and policy makers. She has co-authored several articles, book chapters, and conference presentations on the above topics. She teaches Meta Analysis and the Psychology of Criminal Behavior.

Patrick Bohn

Director, Parole and Probation, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, USA

Patrick Bohn is Director of Division of Parole and Probation for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since April 1, 2018.  Prior to this he served as the Director for Transitional Planning Services for 15 years where he was the Clerk to the North Dakota Parole Board, and oversaw legal records, inmate classification and assessment, transportation, victim services, discharge coordination and legislative issues.  He has also served as a training officer, contract manager, program developer; including the development and implementation of North Dakota’s first adult drug court.  He began his service with the department as a parole officer in 1995.  Prior to his employment with the department, he was employed as a correctional officer at the Grand Forks County Correctional Center.  Pat is a licensed peace officer in North Dakota and a certified Peace Officer and Standards Training instructor.  He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work (1994) and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (2005) both from the University of North Dakota.