2020 is turning out to be a particularly busy year for a psychology researcher/faculty member in the College of Social Sciences. In January, Associate Professor John “Jack” Barile was appointed interim director of the college’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) with the retirement of longtime interim director Judith Inazu.
Among his portfolio of community-based work, Barile will also increase his engagement in the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which has been recognized for improving public safety and reducing criminal behavior by diverting those in need toward vital social services.
The program is funded by the state Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.
“We are pleased that Jack is willing to direct the research division of CSS, while continuing his life-altering research that brings together law enforcement and social service providers,” said Dean Denise Eby Konan. “The study results show progress in reducing the administrative and financial burdens incurred by the criminal justice and health-care systems, with good outcomes for both the individual and the greater community.”
Barile earned his doctorate in community psychology from Georgia State University and went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has also worked on many research projects within SSRI, which conducts and supports interdisciplinary, applied research that addresses critical social, behavioral, economic and environmental problems primarily in Hawaiʻi and the Asia-Pacific region. As the college’s sponsored research division, SSRI also provides administrative support for pre- and post-award activities related to extramural research and training grants.
More on the LEAD program
Barile is the primary researcher behind LEAD, which addresses how Hawaiʻi’s criminal justice system is overburdened with cases involving low-level crimes like violation of sit/lie laws, trespassing in parks after hours or having an open alcohol container in public. LEAD empowers public safety personnel to identify individuals who may need assistance in finding housing, while providing them substance abuse and mental health treatment, and other services, through intensive case management.
Some findings from the study:
- LEAD clients increased their engagement in case management, medical service, transportation assistance and permanent housing services.
- The average number of days that LEAD participants slept unsheltered dropped from 21 to 13 days per month within the first year of the program.
- Emergency room visits decreased from 32 percent of client use to 19 percent.
- The number of cited encounters for enrolled LEAD clients fell by 55 percent, suggesting that the program is reducing recidivism for clients at high risk for arrest.
- LEAD clients increased the number of days they felt hopeful about the future, from an average of 9.1 days per month to 14.7 days, representing a 62 percent increase.
“The LEAD program is making an impact on the lives of its clients,” said Barile. “Being cited for crimes associated with experiencing extreme poverty does little to improve the circumstances of the individual or conditions in the community.”
Also involved in the LEAD program are University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate students Sophie Gralapp and Mark Willingham, and post-doctoral research associate Anna Pruitt, in addition to community partner Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center.
