Union staffers to deliver presentation on Human Trafficking

We are excited to announce that Union Institute & University Professor Eric J. Higgins and Enrollment Counselor Sarah Kolks will present From Victim to Offender: The Response to Human Trafficking in Probation and Parole at the upcoming 40th Annual Training Institute for the American Probation and Parole Association on July 12-15, 2015.

The workshop will:
•Discuss what human trafficking is and why it exists.
•Describe the trauma of victimization and the issues surrounding trafficked victims.
•Explain the role that law enforcement, probation, and parole play in identifying and supervising these individuals.
•Develop strategies for communicating with and supervising trafficked victims.
•Identify key research findings related to responses to victim’s non-compliant behavior.
The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) is an international association actively involved with pre-trial, probation, parole and community-based corrections in both criminal and juvenile justice arenas. All levels of government including federal, state/provincial, local and tribal agencies are counted among its constituents. APPA provides training and technical assistance including a journal, monographs, guidebooks, research, information clearinghouse services and advocacy for its constituents and constituent partners.

Professor Eric J. Higgins has been teaching Criminal Justice, Forensics, and Criminology classes in higher education for approximately six years. He serves as an Affiliate Professor for Union Institute & University, teaching Criminal Justice Management and Emergency Services Management classes. He spent eleven years in law enforcement patrol and has been an investigator for six years. He is a Certified Peace Officer, Law Enforcement Officer Advanced Investigator, and Certified Crisis Intervention Officer. Detective Higgins was previously assigned the sex offender caseload investigating and monitoring their compliance with registration laws, and has worked in the Crime Suppression Unit as a Narcotics Detective investigating VICE crimes. Before moving into his current rank as detective and working for the city of Covington, he worked as a Deputy Sheriff in Kenton County, Kentucky. He is currently assigned to the Covington Police Crime Bureau as the financial crimes investigator in Kentucky, and is assigned to the United States Secret Service Task Force.

Sarah Kolks, M.S. has been teaching Criminal Justice, Forensics, and Criminology classes in higher education for approximately eight years. Kolks is a published national curriculum writer in both Criminology and Criminalistics. She is a criminal justice expert and facilitates a yearly anti-human trafficking colloquium in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. with a major in public policy and social justice at Union Institute & University. Kolks has worked as a probation officer in Hardin County, Ohio and as a victim’s assistant in Delaware County, Ohio before transitioning into higher education. Kolks is a member of the American Probation Association and an anti-trafficking coalition member for End Slavery Cincinnati.