TAMIU Prof. Named A&M System Research Fund Recipient for Mental Health, Criminal Justice Study

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) assistant professor of Criminal Justice and interim director of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program, Dr. Brittany Hood, was recently named a recipient of the Research Excellence Fund for Strategic Initiatives by the Texas A&M University System.

The research proposal, “Emerging Adult Pathways to Treatment” which totals $34,099 in funding, examines how young adult men, ages 18 to 28, with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders move between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems, Hood explained.

“My research program examines trauma exposure, behavioral health pathways, and justice-system involvement among underserved Black and Latino communities, spanning three developmental stages: juvenile, emerging adult, and adult. Much of this work carries a sustained focus on communities along the Texas-Mexico border, and it has been published in outlets such as Race & Justice, Psychological Services, Criminal Justice and Behavior, the Community Mental Health Journal, and Justice, Opportunities, and Rehabilitation. Nationally, jails and prisons remain the largest providers of mental health treatment in the country, and many people receive their first meaningful care only after arrest, often years after symptoms first appeared,” said Hood.

The funding will help facilitate the third phase of a research program that has already studied youth and older adults,” Hood noted.

“Those earlier phases pointed us to emerging adults as the critical group. They are often caught between youth services that end too early and adult systems that are not designed for where they are developmentally. Working with men currently incarcerated in a Texas state prison, we will conduct 50 to 60 life-history interviews and analyze administrative records to map exactly when and where systems failed, or succeeded, in connecting them to care. The goal is to identify the moments where intervention was most possible so that Texas systems can act on them,” said Hood.

The research study is a collaborative effort across the Texas A&M System and partner institutions. Hood leads the project alongside co-principal investigator Dr. Daniel Scott, associate professor of Criminal Justice and director of the Ph.D. in Criminal Justice Program.

Research collaborators include Dr. Serita Whiting at Prairie View A&M University's Center for Justice Research, Dr. Briana Ponce of West Texas A&M University, and Dr. Citlaly Palau of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Both Drs. Ponce and Palau are graduates of TAMIU’s Criminal Justice program.

For Hood, projects of this caliber reiterate the University’s commitment to advancing research that addresses real-world challenges and delivers meaningful solutions.

“Awards like this affirm that TAMIU is not just participating in research on the state's most pressing challenges, it is leading it. This project was conceived and designed at TAMIU; it is led from TAMIU, and it brings together institutions across the A&M System around a problem that directly affects the border communities we serve. Two members of the research team are graduates of our own Ph.D. program, which shows that TAMIU is both producing rigorous research and producing the researchers who carry it forward. Recognition of this caliber signals to students, funders, and the region that a university on the border can set the research agenda, and it strengthens the foundation for the external federal funding we intend to pursue next,” said Hood.

Dr. Ruby Ynalvez, associate vice president for Research & Sponsored Projects, reiterated these sentiments, noting the importance of these awards and how they reflect the quality of research produced by University faculty.

“TAMUS Research Excellence Fund (REF) awards recognize the talent and dedication of our faculty and demonstrate that research conducted at TAMIU addresses issues of regional, state, and national significance. Equally important, awards such as the Research Excellence Fund help position our faculty, the University, and TAMUS for larger external funding opportunities. They provide critical support for emerging research initiatives and demonstrate that TAMIU researchers are competitive on a System-wide stage. Collectively, these achievements underscore the University's ongoing pursuit of research excellence and its growing role as a leading research institution serving South Texas and the border region,” said Ynalvez.

The project’s long-term goal focuses on re-evaluating the criminal justice intervention processes that may impede necessary behavioral health care, ultimately informing more effective and equitable approaches for young adults.

“The long-term aim of this work is to change that sequence: to give behavioral health systems, courts, and re-entry programs the evidence they need to reach people earlier, reduce the misclassification of health crises as criminal behavior, and build developmentally appropriate points of intervention. This is especially urgent for emerging adults of color nationally who face added barriers, such as limited bilingual clinicians and symptoms too often read as misconduct rather than need,” Hood emphasized.

The Research Excellence Fund (REF) is a Texas A&M University System–wide, competitive, merit‑based funding program designed to strengthen research capacity, foster collaboration among System members, and enhance competitiveness for major external funding. The REF is administered by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research with guidance from a System‑level advisory committee. Proposals are reviewed competitively and in alignment with System, state, and national research priorities.

A Research Excellence Fund was also awarded to Dr. Miguel Gaston Cedillo-Campos, assistant professor of Business, at the University. 

For more information on the research project, contact Hood via email at brittany.hood@tamiu.edu.

Registration for the Fall 2026 semester at TAMIU is now underway. Visit our dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration to learn more and register.

The first day of classes for the Fall 2026 semester is Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.

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