Aced It
The Aced It podcast is the place to go if you‘re trying to find out what‘s new in the health and justice research world, but don‘t have the time, energy, or know-how to decipher all that academic writing. Dr. Danielle Rudes and Shannon Magnuson from the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University developed the Aced It! podcast to bring relevant research articles to a broader audience by putting them into layperson’s terms sharing the findings and implications in about 15 minutes.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Season 4, Episode 4: Did you know that the two weeks following carceral release carries the highest risk for overdose death? In this episode, we review several studies that examine opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose death post-incarceration. We hit on key topics such as Narcan (naloxone), fentanyl, and Naltrexone and consider appropriate interventions to prevent overdose in both institutional and community settings.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Season 4, Episode 3: In this episode we provide an overview of three studies that all examined the use of tele-technology and the delivery of counseling and medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The studies offer amazing insight from both patients and counselors about the benefits and barriers of telehealth and MOUD and should get you thinking deeply about this timely and important issue.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Season 4, Episode 2: It turns out that, no surprise here, individuals who are incarcerated DO have a preference regarding which medication they prefer to assist them with their opioid use disorder, and their reasons are fascinating and insightful. In this episode, we review the idea of patient preference for medication and begin to link those preferences to better treatment outcomes.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Season 4, Episode 1: Understanding stigma, including self-stigma, is an important part of building our knowledge of substance use disorders. Listen to this episode to hear how stigma and substance use disorder are tragically connected and how we might work to improve both.
Download the one-pager for this episode (PDF)
Sunday Jul 31, 2022
Sunday Jul 31, 2022
This bonus episode is an update to our very first Aced It episode titled "Language Matters."
The words we use to describe certain individuals or groups matter greatly. Words possess indirect connotation or tone beyond their direct meanings. This episode considers language around individuals and groups involved with the criminal legal system and offers suggestions for how to make sure language is specific, stigma-free, and humanizing. This episode fits nicely with the JCOIN goal of capacity building and enhances the entire LEAP curriculum.
For more information, download the one-pager for this episode (PDF) and visit the The Language Project by The Marshall Project.
Cox, A. (2020). The language of incarceration. Incarceration, 1(1), 2632666320940859.
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
Sunday Jul 24, 2022
We often talk about or study communities’ responses to substance use disorders but not all communities are the same. This episode considers what scholars found when they compared various community resources and services and what those differences mean for individuals in need of services.
Download the One-Pager for this episode (PDF).
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
Sunday Jul 17, 2022
While some argue that incarceration is not the answer for solving our substance use disorder challenges, will police-assisted referrals for SUDs help? This episode takes a deep dive into a study of one such program and reports on what the authors found and what it might mean for us as we continue working toward better outcomes.
Download the One-Pager for this episode (PDF).
Sunday Jul 10, 2022
Sunday Jul 10, 2022
What is the role of dealers in protecting users from opioid overdose and harm? This episode looks at a study that asks this question—with fascinating results. We’re all in this together but we need to understand each other and cooperate if we are to truly help people with substance use challenges.
Download the One-Pager for this episode (PDF).
Sunday Jul 03, 2022
Sunday Jul 03, 2022
Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) faced particular challenges in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, we explore a study that amplified the voices and experiences of individuals with SUD during a global health crisis. The results are both informative and important.
Download the One-Pager for this episode (PDF).
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
This episode examines the role of communities in helping individuals with substance use disorder. Study findings suggest a distinct and pronounced need for better education and training around treatment and recovery and a need for everyone to get involved.
Download the One-Pager for this episode (PDF).
About Aced It
Dr. Danielle Rudes and Shannon Magnuson from the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University developed the Aced It podcast series to bring relevant research articles to a broader audience by putting them into layperson’s terms sharing the findings and implications in about 15 minutes.
The Aced It podcast is the place to go if you're trying to find out what's new in the health and justice research world, but don't have the time, energy, or know-how to decipher all that academic writing.
Shout Outs!
Aced It also graciously thanks Heather Toronjo and Arden Richards-Karamarkovich for their fabulous research and scripting and for the one-pagers that accompany each episode. And, thank you to the countless students who contributed ideas and episode scripts. We also thank Tisha Wiley, Lori Ducharme, and Julia Zur at NIDA for their ever-thoughtful support and guidance and Faye Taxman at ACE! for her career-long devotion to inspiring change and improvement to criminal legal organizations and all those who work with or are served by them. Finally, a ruckus thank you to Shannon Magnuson (GMU and Justice Systems Partners) for her part in inspiring the creation of this podcast.
Meet the Host
Danielle S. Rudes, Ph.D. is a Professor of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Sam Houston State University and the Deputy Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) at George Mason University. She received her B.A. in mass communication (broadcasting) from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, her M.A. in Communications from the University of New Orleans, and an M.A. and PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Rudes is an expert qualitative researcher whose methods include ethnographic observation, interviews, and focus groups with over 20 years of experience working with corrections agencies at the federal, state and local county levels including prisons, jails, probation/parole agencies, and problem-solving courts. She is recognized for her work examining how social control organizations and their middle management and street-level workers understand, negotiate, and at times, resist change.
Dr. Rudes’ experience includes working with corrections agencies during adoption, adaptation, and implementation of various workplace reforms. She also works with institutional corrections (both general population and solitary confinement) to examine key areas of living and working in these carceral spaces including decision making, perceptions of risk/punishment, and negotiating change/reform.
Dr. Rudes received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Justice. She also serves on the Editorial Board of the journals Criminal Justice & Behavior, Victims & Offenders and the journal Law & Policy and is an Associate Editor at the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Dr. Rudes received the American Society of Criminology’s Teaching Award in 2018, the Mentoring Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in 2021, and several George Mason University awards including Teaching Excellence, Mentoring Excellence, and the Emerging Researcher, Scholar, Creator Award.
Dr. Rudes works closely with her team at ACE! to develop each podcast episode and records all episodes from her home studio.