Sally Johnson Van Wright
Sally Johnson Van Wright
Assistant Professor of Social Work
- Doctor of Education, American International College, Springfield, Mass., 2019
- Master of Social Work, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass., 1994
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 1989
"Dr. Sal" weaves into her teaching and scholarly inquiry an abiding commitment to justice and to peace. Having brought social work values to a progressive correctional system for 32 years, she/they passionately pursue empowerment, healing, and growth for all. Working at micro, mezzo, and macro-levels has allowed for multiple streams of inquiry as applied to modalities ranging from group therapy to large dataset construction and validation. This Advanced Generalist approach fuels every class and every presentation or publication.
Research Interests
- Corrections/Smart Decarceration
- Violence Prevention (Empowerment Self Defense, Domestic Violence Intervention)
- Prosocial Learning Among Justice-Involved Adults
Courses Taught
- Social Welfare Policy 1, 2, 3
- Research Methods 1 (Quantitative) & 2 (Quantitative)
- Assessment & Intervention in Substance Use
Certifications and Memberships
- Secretary and Founding Board Member, International Association of Empowerment Self Defense
- Program Associate with Hampden County Sheriff's Office (Ludlow, Mass.)
- Contributor ("Data Champion") to the launch of public dashboard on criminal justice populations on Mass.gov
- Course sequence lead for the Department of Social Work on policy
- Founder and Head Instructor, The Leopard School of Martial Arts for Womenx & Girls
Selected Works
Presentations
- Embodied Empowerment for Women in Corrections for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield, MA. Upcoming: SEPT 2025.
- Data Transparency for 21st Century Corrections for the American Jail Association, Ft. Lauderdale, FL MAY 2024.
- System Impacts on Family & Community: Involvement of Latinas/os in Correctional Systems for Fostering Equity & Inclusion for Latinas/os in Child and Family Welfare, Springfield College, MAR 2024.
- What’s Data Got to Do with It? Correctional Excellence by the Numbers for Pioneer Valley Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Online Seminar DEC 2023.
- Overdose Outreach Rapid Response in Hampden County, Massachusetts for the Hampden County Addiction Task Force. Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Programs of the Office for Justice Programs with Springfield College Alumna Ashley Jediny, MSW, and Nicole Harrington, PhD. Springfield, MA NOV 2023.
- All Reentry Is Local: Evaluating a Strategy to Reenter State Prisoners through Local Correctional Systems for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences with Megan Denver, PhD, Stefan LoBuglio, EdD, Abby Ballou, and Nicole Harrington, PhD. Baltimore, MD MAR 14 –18, 2023.
- An Examination of a Person-Centered Humanistic Approach to Community Reentry for the Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health with Lina Racicot EdD, CJ Van Wright, DSW, and Nicole Harrington, PhD., Raleigh, NC APR 13 –14, 2023.
- Helping Justice-Involved People Recover, Daylong Seminar (6.5 CEU’s) with CJ Van Wright, DSW. W. Massachusetts Substance Addiction Providers Association, Holyoke, MA, NOV 2022.
- Racism as a Public Health Threat with CJ Van Wright, DSW, Grand Rounds in Social Determinants of Health, Westfield State University Social Work Program, MAY 2021.
- Reentry During a Pandemic, Western Massachusetts Chapter of the NASW, JUN 2021.
Publications
- Annual Recidivism and Release Reports available for download from Hampden County Sheriff's Office on https://hcsoma.org/public-information/research/
- Lodolo, Manning, Grussing, Tenner, Ngassa, Rosen, Glenn, Wurcel, & Van Wright (accepted for publication, NOV 2025) “‘I get it, we’re in jail and jail is not supposed to be fun, but this is our health’: Perspectives on healthcare delivery from people incarcerated in four Massachusetts county jails.”
- Dyaji, K., Van Wright, S.J., Murphy, P., & Racicot, L. (2025). Mental health perspectives of west African Canadian immigrants. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Updates. ISBN 2783-0179.
- Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association. (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021). Comprehensive Programs, Services, and Interventions Matrix for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Commonwealth of Massachusetts (mass.gov / Cross Tracking / Programs Dashboard.
- Van Wright, S.J. & Harrington, N. (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022). Descriptive Overview of the Release Cohorts of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office. Ludlow, MA.
- Van Wright, S.J. & Harrington, N. (2024, 2023, 2022). Annual Analysis of Recidivism at Points 1-, 2-, and 3-years Post Release from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office. Ludlow, MA. Van Wright, S.J. (2023). Retrospective on SUD Treatment in the 28 Day Program 2011-2023. Ludlow, MA.
- Van Wright, S.J., Lauzon, M., & Hines, D. (2024, 2022). Outcomes Study for the 28 Day Program 2022-2023. Ludlow, MA.
- Van Wright, S.J. (2019). Evaluating What Promotes Pro-Social Learning: a Quantitative Study of Outcomes from Short-term Confinement. American International College. Retrieval: https://media.proquest.com/media/hms/PFT/2/ M8OAH?_s=Xv9wr7%2FZ%2BSZvE2a0Sj3p3fMeoR8%3D
