Dr. Boppre, who received her Ph.D. from the University
of Nevada at Las Vegas, became interested in this research through her personal
experience of having incarcerated parents. While going through this process,
Boppre noticed that the visitation process in the corrections system is not the
most family-oriented or child-friendly. Communicating with incarcerated loved
ones can be difficult, as phone calls can cost over $1 per minute and prisons
are often located in rural areas. She recalls instances when her family would
have to travel five hours and reserve a hotel room to visit her father in rural
areas. Her family could afford the expenses, but people who are incarcerated disproportionately
enter from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and their families are left
with significant financial burdens to maintaining contact. Her experience as a
visitor in the corrections system strongly influenced her decision to research
how correctional institutes handled COVID-19. Through her experience, she knew
that the corrections system had to maneuver through a unique path when it came
to contact with the outside world.
From severe lockdowns to staff being exposed to
COVID-19, Boppre has already found some interesting reports from family members
she interviewed for her ongoing research. Participants reported suspension on
programs and their incarcerated loved ones having to choose between showering
or calling home once a week. Based upon others’ research, she also discovered
that incarcerated people are more than five times more likely to contract COVID and more than three times more likely to die from covid than individuals
outside of correctional facilities. Staff also face increased risks to contract
the virus. Boppre plans to further examine policy changes during the pandemic
and shed light on what is happening inside these facilities with her internal
grant.
With her ongoing research, Boppre’s goal is to change
how families of incarcerated individuals are treated, saying, “My ultimate goal
is really to improve visitation processes and reduce those barriers to
communicate among families.”
Boppre’s research will open conversations about treatment at correctional facilities. This research has the opportunity to affect policy and give the public a different look inside these correctional institutions and their processes. We are excited to see the outcome of her research and the impact it will make in the corrections field.
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