Jeff Kretschmar is Research Associate Professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ and Managing Director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education.
Dr. Kretschmar is active in a wide array of evaluation research studies. He serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) on the statewide evaluation of the Behavioral Health/Juvenile Justice Initiative, a diversion program for juvenile justice-involved youth with mental and behavioral health issues. Dr. Kretschmar is the PI for the evaluation of Cuyahoga County’s Defending Childhood Initiative, a Department of Justice funded program designed to reduce and eliminate childhood exposure to violence and the associated traumatic consequences.
Dr. Kretschmar also serves as the PI for Cuyahoga County’s Domestic Violence Homicide Reduction Program, sponsored by the Office on Violence Against Women. Jeff is the lead evaluator of the Montgomery County Juvenile Drug Court expansion and enhancement project, a SAMHSA funded initiative designed to provide more effective treatment options to youth and families participating in Drug Court.
Why I Chose this Profession
I was drawn to program evaluation because I am passionate about using data to improve outcomes for communities and systems. This work provides a way to understand what works, why it works, and how to make improvements that can better serve clients. I am able to use my skills and experience to help programs meet their goals while informing policy and practice decisions, ensuring resources are used in the most impactful way to create positive change.
Publications
Recent Publications
Flannery, D. J., Noriega, I., Pittman, S., Singer, M., Kretschmar, J., & Butcher, F. (2024). Violence Exposure and Trauma Screener for Youth (VETSY). Child abuse & neglect, 153, 106843. .
Kretschmar, J., Butcher, F., Gill, E., & Kresic, M. (in press). An overview of Ohio’s Behavioral health juvenile justice diversion program: Outcomes and perspectives from the field. Juvenile Justice Update.
Boehlnlein, T., Kretschmar, J., Regoeczi, W., & Smialek, J. (2020). Responding to stalking victims: Perceptions, barriers, and directions for future research. Journal of Family Violence,
Flannery, D. J., Tossone, K., Kretschmar, J., Butcher, F., & Singer, M. I. (2019). Examination of a new brief screener to measure trauma symptoms and violence exposure among young children. Violence and Victims, 34, 733-751.
Butcher, F., Tossone, K., Kishna, M., Kretschmar, J.M., & Flannery, D. J. (2019). Polyvictiization across time in juvenile justice-involved youth receiving behavioral health treatment. Victims and Offenders, 15, 22-42.
Kretschmar, J.M., Tossone, K., Butcher, F., & Marsh, B. (2018). Examining the impact of a juvenile justice diversion program for youth with behavioral health concerns on early adulthood recidivism. Children and Youth Services Review, 91, 168-176.
Tossone, K., Wheeler, M., Butcher, F., & Kretschmar, J.M. (2018). The role of sexual abuse in trauma symptoms, delinquent and suicidal behaviors, and criminal justice outcomes among females in a juvenile justice diversion program. Violence Against Women, 24, 973-993.
Kretschmar, J.M., Butcher, F., Tossone, K., & Beale, B. (2018). Examining the concurrent validity of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Research on Social Work Practice, 28, 882-890.
Kretschmar, J.M., Capizzi, A., & Shafer, E. (2017). A decade of diversion: Ohio’s Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative. Focal Point, 31, 22-24.
Kretschmar, J.M., Tossone, K., Butcher, F., & Flannery, D.J. (2017). Patterns of poly victimization in a sample of at-risk youth. Journal of Child Abuse and Trauma, 10, 363-
Education
Additional Information
Concentration
- Children, Youth and Families