Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN)
The PRIN sets out to elevate the voices and experiences of people who live and work in prisons with the goals of improving prison environments and ensuring dignity and humanity for all. Vermont DOC was selected to join the Network through a competitive grant process focusing on Southern State Correctional Facility as our pilot site.
What is the Prison Research and Innovation Network (PRIN)?
PRIN is part of a five-year research project, funded by Arnold Ventures, to promote the well-being of people who live and work in prison. The PRIN is a national effort that includes five research sites: Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Missouri, and Vermont.
Goals:
- Understand prison environments and the safety and well-being of those who live and work there.
- Help prisons collect data to promote transparency and accountability.
- Support evidence-based changes to improve prisons, such as ensuring safe and humane environments for all.
In pursuit of these goals, this project will enlist the input of people confined and working in SSCF in the research study design, review of findings, and development of recommendations for improvements.
Who We Are
Our team consists of members of the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Urban Institute (Urban). UVM is the premier research institution in Vermont, with extensive resources in research study design and broad faculty and student research experience. The UVM project team consists of faculty from the Justice Research Initiative (JRI), an interdisciplinary research group focused on justice research.
Urban is a non-profit research organization located in Washington D.C. The project team consists of researchers from Urban’s Justice Policy Center, which aims to inform solutions to all manners of crime and safety challenges, using research to lift the voices, experiences, and perspectives of the people, practitioners, and communities most affected by crime and the criminal justice system.
Our research team looks forward to finding ways to engage with people in this facility to hear more about your experiences here.