Meet the President and Founder
Dr. Jemour A. Maddux, Psy.D. was born and raised in suburban Long Island, New York. I come from a long line of business men, community activists, engineers, and retired military. My mother and grandmother worked in healthcare (drug counseling and nursing respectively).
Consequent to my family’s healthcare background, I moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey to embark on a pre-medicine degree at Rutgers University following high school.
After two years in the major I completed several upper-level biology and chemistry labs, scientific coursework, and experimental activities at Rutgers’s College, Alison Road’s Classroom. I also completed several elective psychology courses and optional upper-level psychology experimental courses such as Neuropsychology, Sensation and Perception, and Motivation and Emotion with Charles F. Flaherty. My conversion into a psychology major was spearheaded by Social Psychology, and an elective I completed during the same semester called Prisons and Prisoners.
Following graduation, I started my doctoral training at a university-based clinical Psy.D. program in Terre Haute, Indiana. My pre-medicine background and exposure to my mother’s work directed my research interests towards physiological reward systems, addictive behavior, and chemical dependency.
Before completing my second year of training I became heavily involved in the research of Dr. Thomas Johnson at Indiana State University. I was named on several posters and presented in his place at the Research Society on Alcoholism’s Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. This was followed by several additional conference presentations prior to completing my third year in graduate training.
I sought out practicum experiences treating chemical dependency within the Indiana Department of Corrections. My professional interests were immediately redirected to the intersection between psychology and the law, policy, criminal behavior, risk prediction, recidivism, and prisoner reentry. I have conducted individual psychotherapy with severe self-mutilators, serial homicide murderers, sexually violent and compulsive offenders, and various security threat group (gang) members from the Bloods, Crips, Latino Kings, MS-13, and others. Although I was an effective psychotherapist, my early lab and scientific experimental experiences would cause me to emerge as a standout in my cohort in the areas of assessment and diagnosis of psychopathology.
I completed graduate coursework in forensic psychology and sought mentorship from Dr. Michael Murphy, the former president of the Indiana Psychological Association, and division of Clinical Psychology in the American Psychological Association (APA). He was also Terre Haute’s authority in forensic psychology and expert testimony for the Vigo county courts. Under his supervision I completed my first forensic evaluation to inform the courts on a child custody matter.
During my fifth year of doctoral training, I started an (APA) accredited predoctoral forensic psychology internship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I provided forensic services at Northern State Prison (NSP), and the Adult Diagnostic and TreatmentCenter (ADTC), in Avenel, New Jersey. Between these institutions, I completed several forensic-specific evaluations including: both psychiatric and sexually violent predator (SVP) civil commitment evaluations; eligibility for sentencing under the New Jersey Sex Offender Act; and institutional referrals for parole evaluation, classification status promotion, malingering evaluation, and assessment of mental state at the time of a disciplinary infraction.
During internship, I was accepted into the mentorship of Dr. Philip Witt, a diplomate in forensic psychology of the American Board of Forensic Psychology, past president of the New Jersey Psychological Association, and president-elect of the AmericanAcademy of Forensic Psychology. Also during internship I published a book review of Eric Mart’s “Getting Started in Forensic Practice,” and a literature review titled “Etiologic and Phenotypic Similarities Between Dopamine-Induced Syndromes and Courts’ Definition of Mental Disease.” Since internship I have served on the New Jersey Psychological Association Forensic Interest Group and actively participate in division 41 of the American Psychological Association (American Psychology-Law Society).
Currently, I work as a forensic expert at a regional diagnostic and treatment center for child abuse and maltreatment based in Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. This is truly a multidisciplinary team position. The team is comprised of forensic psychologists, detectives, physicians, and attorneys from the prosecutor's office. I am responsible for interviewing victims to make a finding of psychological harm secondary to abuse or neglect as defined by the courts. This is necessary for the case to be prosecuted. I also conduct capacity forensic evaluations of offending and non-offending parents. In addition to my work at HUMC, I teach graduate level Criminal Profiling and Forensic Interviewing at the University of Phoenix.
Meet the Advisory Board
Byron E. Price, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Political
Science Department
Texas Southern University
BJ-ML School of Public Affairs
Byron E. Price (Ph.D.MississippiStateUniversity) is an Associate Professor of Political
Science at Texas Southern University.
He is the Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Public Management and Social Policy; and Case Study Editor, Public Productivity and Management Review. Dr. Price has co-authored two book chapters on Mississippi politics, co-authored one book chapter on privatization, and contributed three entries to the Malcolm X Encyclopedia. He has published in the American Review of Public Administration; the International Review of Public Administration, Public Productivity and Management Review; and the PA Times.
His current research agenda includes constitutional implications of public and private arrangements, prison privatization, e-governance, performance measurement, and education reform.
Zahra is currently the program manager at Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO). Founded in Harlem in 1966, WIBO is a non-profit organization committed to assisting men and women from underserved communities with the drive to become successful entrepreneurs. In this position, she works with transitioning formerly incarcerated individuals and supports them through the process of starting a business.
Prior, she was a director of Women’s Freedom Forum, an organization focused on human rights in the Middle East and Africa, as well as a marketing consultant to start-up firms in Silicon Valley, CA. She continues to serve on the Board of Directors at Women’s Freedom Forum and is a member of Net Impact and Women Advancing Micro-Finance. She holds a BA in Sociology from GWU, MA in Social Psychology from SFSU and MBA with an emphasis in International Business from USF.
Zahra was born in Tehran, Iran. In the early 1980’s, after the Iranian revolution, her family fled Iran to avoid persecution by the Islamic Fundamentalist regime. Since then, her parents and family members have dedicated their lives to the issues of human rights and justice. Zahra strongly believes that the current correctional system in the United States is an embarrassment to what this country stands for and is a complete violation of human rights. She also believes that the only real solution to this atrocity is outreach, education and awareness.
Meet the Executive Committee
Vice President and Supervising Research Associate
Dr. Sarosh Cooper completed his undergraduate degree at George Washington University with a major in psychology and minor religion. He earned his PhD from Alliant International University. Dr. Cooper's focus during his doctoral training was in the areas of multicultural clinical psychology. His doctoral dissertation examined outcome measures and program evaluation. Currently, he serves as Vice President and is a founding member of B.E.S.T. Practices. Since day one, Dr. Cooper has been with NJReentry.Com and has been invaluable in shaping our vision.
Executive Secretary, TBD
Meet The B.E.S.T. Practices' Board Members