|
Narratives of Change: Leveraging AI to Identify Transformation in Community Corrections Clients
SESSION INFO
Monday, March 2, 2026
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Research shows that identity transformation - how individuals view themselves in relation to crime, responsibility, and community - is one of the most reliable predictors of desistance from crime. Yet these identity shifts are often subtle. This proposal explores how structured digital journaling using tools like the Atlas platform give participants space to articulate changing self-concepts and prosocial goals, and how advances in artificial intelligence can help practitioners recognize and reinforce these small but meaningful shifts in thinking that signal long-term behavioral change. Drawing on current desistance research and real-world examples from digital journaling, the session will demonstrate how AI models can flag readiness to change and emerging prosocial identities at scale.
|
|
|
SESSION PRESENTERS
Valerie Bagley
, The Change Companies
Valerie Bagley is the Chief Program Officer at The Change Companies, where she oversees the development of The Change Companies’ library of training and curriculum offerings and consults with industry leaders on facilitating positive change within specific populations and settings. Valerie has overseen the development of over 35 cognitive-behavioral curricula during her tenure at The Change Companies, and her background in positive psychology brings an evidence-informed and strength-based approach to intervention design. Valerie has worked in the field of psychosocial curriculum development for 15 years. Prior to The Change Companies, Valerie developed resilience and social-emotional educational resources for justice-involved and at-risk youth.
Nico Gimenez
Co-CEO, The Change Companies
Nico serves as Co-CEO of The Change Companies, a national provider of behavior change curricula and digital tools used in justice and treatment settings across the country. In his role, Nico is focused on advancing the organization’s mission to support individuals involved in the justice system through evidence-based, person-centered programming – both in print and through its emerging digital platform, Atlas. Since joining The Change Companies, Nico has helped expand the organization’s solutions to better support frontline staff by strengthening skill-building, improving programming fidelity, and enabling providers to serve more individuals with less administrative burden. He is committed to building tools that improve outcomes at scale while respecting the unique needs of each individual in care.
|
|
|
|
|
|