John Gallagher

John Gallagher

John Gallagher

Criminal Justice Administration

Associate Professor of Criminal Justice

Biography

Dr. John Gallagher, PhD, LCSW, LCAC, is a criminal justice reform researcher and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC).  He is a graduate of the Â鶹ÊÓƵ criminal justice program, and he has worked in the criminal justice system supporting addiction and mental health recovery since 2002. Previously, he was a tenured Associate Professor of social work at Indiana University and Morgan State University - a historically black university (HBCU).  Additionally, he was a Full Research Professor at George Mason University, Schar School of Policy and Government, where he led a national qualitative study designed to eliminate racial and gender disparities in treatment court outcomes.


Dr. Gallagher has developed a national reputation for excellence in criminal justice reform research.  He has worked on projects funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the  President of the United States.  His teaching is guided by his research and real-life criminal justice practice experience.  His research has been published in over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and he has facilitated nearly 200 presentations on many topics, such as best practices in working with women and African Americans in treatment court, the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to support recovery, and ethics for criminal justice professionals.

• Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)

• MSW, Marywood University

• BA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ

• AA, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) 

• CJ 217 (Gender, Race, and Crime)

• CJ 273 (Corrections, Probation, and Parole)

• CJ 350 (Professional Seminar in Criminal Justice)

• CJ 403 (Current Issues in Criminal Justice)

• Eliminating racial and gender disparities in treatment court outcomes

• Qualitative research that gives participants a voice related to their experiences in treatment court

• Best practices in addiction treatment for women and African Americans who are involved in the criminal justice system

• Assessing the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions to support addiction and mental health recovery

• The use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the criminal justice system to support opioid use disorder recovery

Selected Publications

• John R Gallagher, Anne Nordberg, Snehaa D Krishnan, Quyen Ngo, Makayla Abril Butters and Grayson K Hashida (2025). Substance use disorder recovery guided by the aloha spirit: An indigenous approach to treatment courts. Ethnicities, Vol. 0(0), 1–13

• Gallagher, J. R., Collinson, M. R., & Francis, Z. (2025). Maintaining fidelity to the treatment court model through evaluation: The racial and ethnic disparities (RED) program assessment tool. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 35(6), 1093-1104.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025). Substance use disorder is a disease, but not everyone who has a substance use disorder has the disease. Advances in Social Work, 25(1), 353-363.

• Gallagher, J. R., Nordberg, A., LaPlant-Braughton, J., Kanneh, F., Martin, J., Turpin, D., & Clevenger, C. L. (2025). Incorporating an Afrocentric approach into the criminal justice system: The voices of men who attend the Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy (HEAT) program. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 22(3), 394-407.

• Gallagher, J. R., & Nordberg, A. (2024). Improving treatment in treatment court: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) of the drug court experience. Justice Evaluation Journal, 7(2), 193-211.

• Gallagher, J. R., Estreet, A., Nordberg, A., Zongrone, C., Minasian, R. M., & Szymanowski, S. (2023). The interplay between women, opioid use disorder, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and drug court: A qualitative study. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 33(5), 647-662.

• Gallagher, J. R., Menon, P., Francis, Z., Collinson, M., & Odili, P. (2023). Color in the court: Using the Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) Program Assessment Tool to promote equitable and inclusive treatment court practice. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 41(2), 149-161.

• Gallagher, J. R., Nordberg, A., Marlowe, D. B., Zongrone, C., & Szymanowski, S. (2022). A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) of women’s experiences in drug court: Promoting recovery in the criminal justice system. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 22(3), 212-232.

• Gallagher, J. R., Wahler, E. A., & Nordberg, A. (2022). Predictors of graduation and criminal recidivism: Findings from a drug court that primarily serves African Americans. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(1), 40-50.

• Gallagher, J. R., Nordberg, A., Francis, Z., Menon, P., Canada, M., & Minasian, R. M. (2021). A focus group analysis with a drug court team: Opioid use disorders and the role of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in programming. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 21(2), 139-148.

• Gallagher, J. R., Wahler, E. A., & Lefebvre, E. (2020). Further evidence of racial disparities in drug court outcomes: Enhancing service-delivery to reduce criminal recidivism rates for non-White participants. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(3), 406-415.

Selected Presentations

• Gallagher, J. R., & Vicha, Z. (2025, May). Going beyond motivational interviewing: Imbuing your treatment court with motivation. Paper presented at RISE 25 the annual conference of All Rise, Kissimmee, FL.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025, May). The role of drug courts in criminal justice reform: Eliminating racial disparities in outcomes. Paper presented for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.

• Gallagher, J. R., & Vicha, Z. (2025, April). Changes to what counselors share with the justice system: Guidance for the treatment court team. Paper presented for the Arizona Association of Treatment Court Professionals (AATCP) Annual Conference, Prescott, AZ.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025, March). Working wounded: Ethics of professional self-care, compassion fatigue, and professional boundaries. Paper presented for the Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP) Annual Conference, Branson, MO.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025, February). A paradigm shift in what treatment providers share with the justice system: Essential information for the treatment court team. Paper presented for the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP) 25th Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025, February). Best clinical interventions to support Oppositional Defiant Disorder(ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD) recovery. Keynote presentation for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians Tree of Healing Behavioral Health Conference, Airway Heights, WA.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2025, February). Women as the pioneers and voices of criminal justice reform: Using modern addiction science to promote trauma recovery. Paper presented for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians Tree of Healing Behavioral Health Conference, Airway Heights, WA.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2024, November). Participants’ views on recovery, harm reduction, and the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Paper presented for the New England Association of Recovery Court Professionals (NEARCP) Annual Conference, Danvers, MA.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2024, September). Recovery management: Helping people move from addiction to lasting recovery. Paper presented for the 19th Annual Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals Conference, Natchez, MS.

• Gallagher, J. R. (2024, February). The African American experience in drug court from 2012 to 2022: A decade of research to eliminate racial disparities in outcomes. Paper presented for the South Carolina Association of Treatment Court Professionals, Charleston, SC.
 

Podcast Appearances

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Dr. Gallagher has worked in the criminal justice system since 2002 doing counseling and facilitating research to support addiction and mental health recovery.  

• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

• Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC)