Evidence-Based Tools for Real Impact
Dr. Salisbury partners with justice systems to put research into practice—helping implement evidence-based strategies that improve support, services, and outcomes for women. Her work helps turn policy into practice where it matters most.
Women's Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA)
The suite of Women's Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) instruments are the only validated, peer-reviewed risk/need instruments in the public domain specifically designed by and for system-impacted women. The WRNA measures women's specific criminogenic needs and strengths to drive comprehensive, holistic case-planning designed to complement gender- and trauma-responsive treatment and supervision. The WRNA was endorsed by the United Nations to support adherence to the human rights afforded to incarcerated women worldwide.
The WRNA was originally created through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections and the University of Cincinnati through research led by Dr. Patricia Van Voorhis. The instrument is now managed by Dr. Emily Salisbury at Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC), College of Social Work University of Utah.
Men’s Risk Needs Assessment (MRNA)
Dr. Salisbury is the Principal Investigator on a multi-year research study with a state department of corrections (DOC) piloting a modified version of the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment (WRNA) with men in the criminal justice system.
The WRNA is the only actuarial offender risk/needs assessment that includes measures of trauma, unhealthy intimate relationships, parental stressors, and parental strengths. This DOC has utilized the WRNA for over a decade with their female population and is now interested in modifying the tool for men to identify and treat the effects of men’s trauma and to facilitate improved family relationships among incarcerated fathers.
Indeed, men’s traumatic experiences have long been ignored by offender risk/need instruments and the overall criminal legal system (think of the Menedez brothers), and Dr. Salisbury seeks to highlight their importance for reducing men’s recidivism and facilitating motivation for behavior change.
Self-Assessment for Fem/Powerment (SAFE)
Access to health and wellness should not be limited to the wealthy. The Self-Assessment for Fem/Powerment (SAFE) is a mobile health app empowering system-involved women to learn about all the elements needed for a healthy body and mind. Developed by Dr. Emily Salisbury in collaboration with Interactive Life, Inc., the SAFE helps users learn, assess, and improve the 8 elements of women’s health and well-being. An excellent resource for targeting women’s specific responsivity, case managers can work collaboratively with clients through SAFE to help motivate through the lens of health and wellness—as opposed to conditions of supervision.
SAFE offers a menu of free, online interventions tailored to improve wellness—such as physical exercises/stretches, nutritional education, meditation prompts, career resources for people with a criminal conviction, safety planning, and many others. Users can track their progress over time within each element, promoting self-awareness and healing.
