While working on his bachelor’s degree in 2004, assistant professor Christopher Veeh had the opportunity to work with reentry programs for incarcerated individuals. Specifically, the first program in Kansas was created under the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative. The initiative provided a significant increase in federal funding for reentry programs across the nation, including the one Veeh worked with. From this hands-on experience, it became clear that this was an area of interest for him and a topic in need of more attention. “[The] experience showed me the high need for this area and how it intersects with every other area of social work,” he said.
Since that undergraduate experience, Veeh has remained focused on improving the reentry process for individuals transitioning out of incarceration. His early work was informed by the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model, which identifies the most important risk factors for returning to incarceration, such as anti-social thinking and substance abuse. Through this work, Veeh began to recognize the limitations of current reentry programs that only focused on reducing risk factors, two in particular. The first is the removal of negative attitudes and behaviors that make someone more likely to return to prison, without building any positive behaviors and coping strategies. The second limitation he identified is the lack of long-term engagement in current reentry programs. Meaning most participants are not getting the most out of a program to make substantial changes in anti-social thinking and improved coping skills.
That realization sparked his interest in researching protective factors such as positive interpersonal relationships and utilizing active coping strategies amid stressful situations. Additionally, Veeh started exploring whether programs that emphasize approach goals, which focus on building up an individual’s skills, behaviors, and attitudes that will lead to increased well-being, could in turn increase participant engagement, improve outcomes like employment, and enhance public safety.
Veeh has worked directly with reentry program participants, hearing their stories and learning about their experiences. He’s also seen firsthand how challenging it is to scale these interventions effectively. “This difficulty has driven me to continue to examine how these programs can be improved to best serve those who are trying to better themselves following release from incarceration,” he added.
Currently, Veeh’s research focuses on two areas. First, he investigates protective factors that can strengthen reentry programs, with a specific emphasis on promoting well-being and resilience in formerly incarcerated individuals as they return to their communities. His second area of research involves cognitive behavioral interventions, particularly those designed for individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury. Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, this project aims to adapt interventions for first responders with traumatic brain injury in Minnesota who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veeh has seen promising progress on both research fronts.
“Results showed robust results for the reentry well-being factors, increasing employment and decreasing psychological distress,” he explained.
He and his collaborators are currently working on a report of the results from a multi-state trial centered on interventions that support reentry-related well-being. Additionally, a recent publication of Veeh’s was accepted by The Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. The article examines the predictive validity of well-being indicators he has identified in both reentry programs and trial interventions.
When it comes to navigating a research career, Veeh encourages others to explore areas that spark their curiosity and passion. “The best motivation for me has been centering on the positive impact my work could have on the individuals I am designing programs for," he said.