Putting
Theory into Practice
Ann
Charvat is certified by the Sociological Practice Association for her
work in
death penalty mitigation, and by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Rule
31 Family
Mediator. She has a Ph.D. in
sociology with concentrations in Criminology, Family Sociology, Theory,
and
Quantitative Methods. Her
dissertation examined the issue of family violence and the relevance of a
criminological approach to prevention and deterrence.
Prior to completion of this degree, she worked as a teacher,
counselor,
and social worker.
In 1989, Dr.
Charvat
began her clinical practice in death penalty mitigation.
Informed by her previous study of family violence, she began to
examine
institutional violence in a variety of settings as contributors to
lethal
violence. Since that time, Dr.
Charvat has provided assessment, investigation, or conclusions on more
than 70
capital cases in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
Dr. Charvat
has
worked extensively with the families and loved ones of many facing death
sentences on both trial and appeal levels. Viewing
the family as the unit of analysis has provided rich
and diverse research opportunities utilizing historical methodology.
Collected data has allowed triangulation of mitigation factors
which have
been introduced in court as testimony and have impacted sentencing
decisions
throughout the process.
In 1996, the
field of
mediation was defined by Tennessee statute.
Dr. Charvat was among the first to obtain this certification
designed for
attorney and non-attorney mediators in Tennessee in the area of family
mediation. Using her work and
certification as a clinical sociologist to establish eligibility, she
has
provided mediation for divorcing and never married parents since that
time as
referred by the juvenile and divorce courts in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2000, Dr.
Charvat
founded a small business specializing in conflict resolution classes and
mediation. Building upon a
background of teaching, mediation, and what has become known as
sentencing
advocacy, InService, Inc. was conceptualized as an option to litigation
and
court involvement. Offering both
family and civil specialists, InService has proposed and provided
programs to
local government, education, and community organizations with the goal
of putting
theory into practice.
Putting
theory
into practice has been her life’s work.
Her community and professional involvements have placed her in
organizations which include but are not limited to: Who’s Who in
American
Law; American Sociological Association, Sociological Practice
Section;
Sociological Practice Association (SPA) certification chair; Association
for
Conflict Resolution; National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
(NACDL);
National Association of Sentencing Advocates (NASA); Tennessee
Protection and
Advocacy PAIMI Advisory Council;
Mid South Sociological Association (MSSA); Tennessee Association for
Criminal
Defense Lawyers (TACDL); Tennesseans for a Moratorium on Executions
(TME);
Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing (TCASK); Neighborhood
Justice
Center; YWCA Domestic Violence Program; Tying Nashville Together;
Tennessee
Association of Investigators (TAI); Court Appointed Special Advocates
(CASA)
mediator; Metro Nashville Community Education Program; Tennessee CURE
(Citizens
United for the Rehabilitation of Errants); Davidson County Juvenile
Court ad hoc
committee for a mediation center; PTO’s and PTA’s of Eakin Elementary,
Meigs
Magnet School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet School, Wharton Middle
Magnet
School of the Arts; Nashville School of the Arts, Hillsboro High School,
and
Hume Fogg Magnet School; First Unitarian Universalist Church of
Nashville.
http://www.tennmediators.org/anncharvat/
http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/clinsoc_45575v2.pdf