J-SAT started in 1997, inspired by the research for ‘What Works’ in corrections which had become a sustainable trend. Our logo symbolizes the five basic tools (lever, pulley, fulcrum, wheel/inclined plane, & screw) signifying our commitment to getting something of value done. In 1998, the Surgeon General, David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., coined the term “Evidence-Based Practices”(EBPs) for the wider variety of non-medical social interventions that were amassing their own research basis and the die was cast. J-SAT and the field of corrections have been pursuing efficacy in implementing EBPs ever since.
J-SAT has been exploring and rigorously applying science to the field of corrections for 20+ years. We’re agnostic whether this occurs within cycles of research-to-practice or practice-to-research. What is paramount is uncovering and addressing the obstacles and barriers that interfere with interventions that promise to positively impact offender motivation for change, self-regulation skills and social support. Remaining flexible, open and ready to serve has enabled us to perform in a guiding role for myriad agencies faced with different, difficult challenges.
Our motivation for change at J-SAT comes from experience. We have two primary kinds of experience: Boomer-prophets with ranging and long-lived experience and Millennials, fearless with beginner minds.
The Director of J-SAT, Brad Bogue has experience extending back over 50 years, to when he was an avid consumer of corrections services. In 1970, a correctional counselor named Rich Goll gained his trust and showed him some alternatives. In 1971, Brad began working in a New York therapeutic community and has been privileged to work in many different corrections settings (e.g., field supervision, residential, public, private, adult, juvenile) – prior to starting J-SAT. Since opening J-SAT, Brad has contracted with hundreds of different organizations. And the latter can also be said for other associates within J-SAT such as Paul Hofmann and Tom O’Connor, Ph.D.
J-SAT’s extensive experience is balanced by the millennial associates we have been so fortunate to attract. These individuals enter the field with fewer illusions about the challenges, the value of both the inner-net as well as the internet, and as a result hit the ground running. Together, all of us at J-SAT are learning to engage and interact in ways that create new experiences and ideas for ourselves and our customers.
Because EBPs tend to have prescribed characteristics and often known fidelity markers, there may not appear to be much difference in our stock and trade than our competitors. Moreover, given the amazing knowledge embodied in the emerging science of implementation, what sets J-SAT apart from other companies is how we approach our work as anything short of a mission. We know from experience as well as from the research what a difference corrections interventions can make in lives…and not just the occasional life, but systematically and sometimes with great multiplier or ripple effects. Thus, at J-SAT we like to say: ‘the best is yet to come.”