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Lisa Kruse

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Associate Professor
Sociology & Criminal Justice
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

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Lisa Kruse Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Associate Professor

Sociology & Criminal Justice

Specialty area(s)

Criminology and Criminal Justice: evidence-based practices, pre-trial, racial and socioeconomic inequities in the system, school resource officers and the school-to-prison pipeline, diversion programs, drug-treatment courts and substance use/mental health issues and reentry.

Surveillance: sex offender registry, pretrial/post-adjudication surveillance, social media and other means of personal surveillance

Methods: qualitative methods, evaluation

Brief biography

Lisa Kruse is an associate professor in the department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology with specializations in methods and criminology. She is the vice chair of the La Crosse County Criminal Justice Management Council (CJMC) and the lead evaluator for the La Crosse County Drug Treatment Court and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Fresh Start Program for jail reentry. Previously, she was the vice chair for La Crosse’s National Institute of Corrections (NIC) Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) group. She also served as an evaluator for the Juvenile Justice Best Practices Task Force on disproportionate minority contact with juveniles in the public schools.  She continues to work with practitioners tracking cumulative disadvantage through the criminal justice system to address disparate contact with juvenile and adult racial minorities in the La Crosse area.

Current courses at UWL

SOC 110: Introduction to Sociology

SOC 250: Research Methods I

SOC 313: Law & Society

SOC 318: Surveillance & Society

SOC 324: Criminal Justice

SOC 390: Sociological Theory

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, Western Michigan University (8/2013)

M.A. Criminology and Criminal Justice, Eastern Michigan University (6/2007)

B.S. Psychology/Sociology, Eastern Michigan University (4/2004)

Career

Teaching history

2020-present: Associate Professor, UWL

2013-2020: Assistant Professor, UWL

2007-2012: Doctoral Associate/Lecturer, Western Michigan University

 

Professional history

2017-present: Vice Chair, Criminal Justice Management Council, La Crosse, WI.

2013-2017: Citizen Member, Criminal Justice Management Council, La Crosse, WI.

2016-present: Data Analyst, Committee on Mapping Racial Disparity in the La Crosse County Criminal Justice System, La Crosse, WI.

2015-2018: Chair, Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) County Initiative (NIC funded), La Crosse, WI.

2007-present: American Society of Criminology; Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Midwest Sociological Society

Research and publishing

Journal Articles

Kruse, Lisa M., & Chen, Song. (Under Review). Validating the La Crosse County Arrest Proxy.

Bakken, Nicholas W., & Kruse, Lisa M. (2019). An examination of sexual victimization, self-injurious behaviors, and suicidality among female college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, DOI:10.1177/0886260519880163

Kruse, Lisa M., Norris, Dawn R., and Flinchum, Jonathan. (2018). “Social Media as Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media.” The Sociological Quarterly, 59(1): 62-84.

Technical Reports

 Kruse, Lisa M., & Bakken, Nicholas W. (2020). Legitimacy in a Diversion Court: A Qualitative Examination of Procedural Justice. Report to La Crosse County Justice Support Services and Health and Human Services.

Bakken, Nicholas W., & Kruse, Lisa M. (2018). La Crosse County Juvenile Justice Best Practices Stakeholder Group Full Data Report. Report to the La Crosse County Juvenile Justice Best Practices Stakeholder Group.

Manuscripts in Progress

 Kruse, Lisa M., Witt, Jason, Gilliam, Cordero, and Harcey, Troy. School Resource Officer Programs in La Crosse County: A Guide on the Best Practices for Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Technical Report in final preparation for submission to the Criminal Justice Management Council.

Kruse, Lisa M. & Bakken, Nicholas W. Legitimacy in a Diversion Court: A Qualitative Examination of Compliance with Drug Treatment Court. (peer-reviewed journal article)

 Bakken, Nicholas W., & Kruse, Lisa M. Identity Among Drug Court Participants: Shifting Conceptions of Self through the Process of Recovery. (peer-reviewed journal article)

Applied Research Grant Project Experience

Kruse (Co-Lead Evaluator)                                            October 1, 2017 to Present

Fresh Start Program; grant funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance ($650,000)

Fresh Start is a pilot project addressing the treatment and case management needs of adult men and women with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders in La Crosse County. Evaluator’s role includes assisting in the planning, development, and formal evaluation of this new reentry program.

Kruse (Co-Lead evaluator)                                             October 1, 2017 to Present

Evaluation of the La Crosse County Drug Court; grant funded by the National Center for State Courts ($280,000)

This project is includes collecting quantitative and qualitative data aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug court. Additionally, in-depth interviews with current drug court participants were conducted regarding their experiences in the drug court.

COMPLETED

Kruse (Data Analyst and Consultant)                             April 1, 2015 to January 31, 2018

La Crosse County Juvenile Justice Arrest and Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force, grant funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation

Work with various task force sub-committees to evaluate and present data to community stakeholders collected on criminal justice contacts with juveniles in the La Crosse area. Investigator’s role was to coordinate the data collection, manage and analyze the data, and oversee the reporting efforts.

Other Grants

 Kruse, Lisa M., and Bakken, Nicholas W. “A Programmatic Evaluation of the ‘System of Care:’ Addressing Disproportionate Minority Contact and Juvenile Arrests in La Crosse Public Schools.” Regents Scholar Grant. Submitted: 11/2020. Not Funded. Amount Requested: $50,000.00.

Hoffman, Isaac (Principal), Bisek, Mandy (supporting), Kruse, Lisa M. (supporting/co-evaluator), and Bakken, Nicholas (supporting/co-evaluator). "Transforming Systems to Create Healthy and Resilient Neighborhoods." UW System Community Impact Grant. Not Funded. Amount Requested: $1,000,000.

Bakken, Nicholas W., and Kruse, Lisa M. “A Programmatic Evaluation of the ‘System of Care:’ Addressing Disproportionate Minority Contact and Juvenile Arrests in La Crosse Public Schools.” Regents Scholar Grant. Submitted: 10/4/19. Not Funded. Amount Requested: $49,892.00.

Kruse, Lisa M. “Perceived Legitimacy in a Diversion Court.” Faculty Research Grant, UWL. Submitted 10/24/18.FUNDED: $6,900.00

Hamel, Melanie (Principal), Van Tol, Tonya (supporting), Bakken, Nicholas W. (supporting/co-evaluator), and Kruse, Lisa M. (supporting/co-evaluator). “Project Turning Point: WesternTechnical College (Project Proven), La Crosse YWCA, and Workforce Connections.” Bureau of Justice Assistance, Submitted: 5/1/18 Not funded: 1,000,000.00

Kruse, Lisa M. (principal) “Criminal Justice Career Series.” College of Liberal Studies (CLS)Promoting Liberal Education, Submitted: 2/5/2018. FUNDED. Amount Requested: $1,154.00

 Schultz, Ruthann (co-principal), Stinson, Tracie (co-principal), Delgado Enilda A. (supporting),and Kruse, Lisa M. (supporting). “YWCA Justice Circles.” La Crosse Community Foundation. Submitted: 06/2015. FUNDED. $70,000.00

Deglado, Enilda A. (co-principal), and Kruse, Lisa M. (co-principal). “Community Collaboration Grant: YWCA and UWL Partnership for Restorative Justice: Curbing High Juvenile Justice Arrest Rates and Disproportionate Minority Contact in La Crosse County Public Schools.” UWL Grant. Submitted: 02/2015. FUNDED. $1,000.00

Kruse, Lisa M. (co-principal), and Norris, Dawn R. (co-principal). Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) Program, National Science Foundation (NSF), “Constructions of Privacy Among Working and Middle Class Millennial and Generation X Populations.”  Not Funded, Submitted: 1/5/2015, $205,807.

Kruse, Lisa M. (co-principal), and Norris, Dawn R. (co-principal)., “Constructions of Privacy Among Millennials and Generation X Populations.” Faculty Research Grant, UWLFunded. Submitted: 10/20/2014. FUNDED. $10,000

Kruse, Lisa M. (co-principal), and Norris, Dawn R. (co-principal). “Support for NSF Grant:Conceptions of Privacy Among Working and Middle Class Millennial and Generation XPopulations.” Faculty Grant Development Grant, UWL. Submitted: 9/3/2014. FUNDED.$5000.00

Kruse, Lisa M. (principal). University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, “Digital Natives’ Conceptions of Privacy and Participation in Surveillance Practices.” Faculty Research Grant, UWL. FUNDED. Amounted Requested: $10,000 FUNDED. $7,950.

Professional Presentations

2019     Kruse, Lisa M. “Analysis of High Risk Offenders and Bond Decisions.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council on November 20, 2019.

 2019     Kruse, Lisa M., and Bisek, Mandy. “Cumulative Disadvantage in the Criminal Justice System.” Presented to the La Crosse County Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Coordinated Community Response Task Force on May 30, 2019.

2019     Kruse, Lisa M., Chen, Song, Dehn, Meghan, Quinn, Cassandra, and Wingender, Elizabeth. “Validation of the Arrest Proxy for La Crosse County: Results.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council on May 15, 2019.

2019     Kruse, Lisa M. “Cumulative Disadvantage in the Criminal Justice System.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council on February 20, 2019.

2018     Kruse, Lisa M. “Accurate Arrest Data, Now What? Moving Forward in 2019.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council on November 19, 2018.

 2018     Kruse, Lisa M., Melby, Jason, Bisek, Mandy, and Hertl, Jerri. “Racial Disparity in the La Crosse County Criminal Justice System.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council in February, 2018.

2017     Kruse, Lisa M., Bisek, Mandy, and Klekamp, Jane. “Evidence-Based Decision Making in La Crosse County.” Presented to the Criminal Justice Management Council in December, 2017.

2017     Kruse, Lisa M. “What Can Research Tell Us About Poverty and Criminal Justice? Applying EBPs to Change Targets in La Crosse County, WI.” Presented to Evidence-Based Decision Making Group in March 2017.

2016     Bakken, Nicholas W. and Kruse, Lisa M. “La Crosse County Juvenile Justice Arrest and Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force Data Presentation.” Presented to La Crosse County Juvenile Justice Task Force, March 24, 2016

2016     Kruse, Lisa M., and Horne, Scott. “Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) in La Crosse County.” Presented to La Crosse County Board on February 8, 2016.

Selected Peer Reviewed Conference Presentations

 2019     Bakken, Nicholas W., and Kruse, Lisa M. “An Examination of Sexual Victimization, Self-Injurious Behaviors, and Suicidality Among Female College Students.” Paper presented at the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Chicago, IL.

 2018     Kruse, Lisa M. and Wagner, Elizabeth. “Privacy and Social Media: Users’ Conceptions of Privacy on Sites Meant for Sharing.” Paper presented at the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Minneapolis, MN.

2018     Kruse, Lisa M. “Working with Practitioners to Track Cumulative Disadvantage in the Criminal Justice System.” Round table presentation at the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Minneapolis, MN.

2017     Norris, Dawn R., and Kruse, Lisa M. “The Real Me: Birth Cohort Differences in Perceiving ‘Real’ Identities on Social Media.” Paper presented at the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Milwaukee, WI.

 2015     Kruse, Lisa M., and Norris, Dawn R. “Constructions of Privacy Among Working and Middle Class Millennial and Generation X Populations.” Paper presented at the Midwest Sociological Society conference in Kansas City, MO.

Kudos

interviewed

Lisa Kruse, Sociology & Criminal Justice, was interviewed by Spanning the State with Brian Noonen and Kristin Brey of WTMJ Radio on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Kruse was interviewed about the Department of Corrections Reentry Simulation that took place on UWL's campus Monday, Oct. 7. 

Submitted on: Oct. 16

interviewed

Lisa Kruse, Sociology & Criminal Justice, was interviewed by Pete Zervakis of Spectrum News One's In Focus on July 26. The topic was prison understaffing and the impact on reentry.

Submitted on: July 29

presented

Nicholas Bakken and Lisa Kruse, both Sociology & Criminal Justice, presented "Treatment Alternatives and Diversion: Final Evaluation Report" at Evidence Based Decision Making Pre-Trial Group for La Crosse County on Wednesday, Feb. 14 in La Crosse. Kruse and Bakken presented the results of their year-long evaluation on La Crosse County's Pre- and Post-Charge Diversion Program to key stakeholders in the local criminal justice system.

Submitted on: Feb. 14

presented

Lisa Kruse, Sociology & Criminal Justice, presented "Study Committee on Policing (SCOP) Final Recommendations" at the La Crosse County Board Meeting on Feb. 5 in La Crosse. Kruse presented the recommendation of starting a Civilian Review Board for Police Misconduct to the County Board ahead of their vote on the recommendation at the County Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 15. 

Submitted on: Feb. 14

served

Nicholas Bakken and Lisa Kruse, both Sociology & Criminal Justice, submitted their evaluations findings of the La Crosse County Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) Programs to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WI DOJ) on Dec. 29, 2023. The technical report is titled "Final Evaluation Report: La Crosse County Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) Program," and the work was part of a yearlong, grant-funded initiative awarded to La Crosse County by the WI DOJ. Drs. Kruse and Bakken worked in collaboration with La Crosse County Justice Support Services (JSS) and the La Crosse County District Attorney's Office to collect the data and perform the evaluation.

Submitted on: Jan. 22