Abby Successfully Defends Dissertation Prospectus

Congratulations to Abby Hayes, who successfully defended her dissertation prospectus, “An institutional ecology of prison violence: Gang concentration, configuration, and the Prison Alert Dashboard in Iowa Prisons,” on October 15th.

Abby’s dissertation examines how the social organization of prison gangs within housing units shapes institutional violence. Drawing on institutional ecology, her research explores how gang concentration and configuration are associated with assaultive behavior and whether correctional management practices can alter these social environments. Using longitudinal administrative data from the Iowa Department of Corrections, she also evaluates whether implementation of the Prison Alert Dashboard is associated with changes in housing-unit gang composition and institutional violence.

Congratulations, Abby! The entire ARC Lab (and your committee) is so proud of this milestone and excited to see where your research takes you. We can’t wait to see what comes next!