Won ASC Division on Women and Crime's 2015 undergraduate student paper competition for the study I completed in my senior year of undergrad, "Preparing for Release: Women's Perceptions on Reentry Workshops".

I interviewed 28 women who were participating in the reentry services at a medium/maximum facility in central PA. The services had only been in place at the institution for approximately 18 months when I began the study and so no evaluation or feedback had yet been provided. I was primarily interested in their perceptions on the most popular workshops offered at the institution, relationships, mental health, and healthy living, and whether or not they felt prepared for their upcoming releases. Most women responded positively about the services and enjoyed the opportunities and information that they provided. However, the services still fall short in a number of areas as they only provided some general information and advice on complex issues that many of the women are dealing with. In addition, because I interviewed currently incarcerated women, how the services will impact success upon release is not known.