Dr. Dewey and Dr. VandeBerg win ORED Funding to Improve Prison Social Climate

This project will use participatory action research to accomplish three short-term objectives, with the long-term goal of using data collected to author a book, several articles, and major grant proposals to replicate the study in women’s prisons across the South. First, we will determine patterns in how women incarcerated in South Carolina envision the role of prison in shaping their understandings and interpretations of their life experiences, current beliefs, and expectations for the future. Second, we will ascertain patterns in how staff at South Carolina women’s prisons characterize their work environment’s role in shaping their life trajectories, personal values, and long-term professional goals. Third, we will utilize findings obtained by completing the first two objectives to work collaboratively with the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) to improve prison social climate in women’s prisons.