Bio

Shannon is a Ph.D. student in the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice program in Newark, New Jersey. Shannon earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2023. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Political Science and Sociology at Christopher Newport University in 2020, where she also received the Joseph Healy Award for Excellence in Statistics. Shannon had the opportunity to participate in a research project with the Virginia Department of Education, assessing the public opinion and investment in Career in Technical Education. This is where her interest in policy analysis began.

Shannon’s research interests center around success after incarceration and conditions while inside prison. She plans to expand the measure of success beyond recidivism and is passionate about learning how policy decisions can help people to lead peaceful, fulfilling lives after having been in prison. She desires to bring attention to the violation of rights stemming from poor conditions in prison and to study accountability mechanisms in the prison system. Ultimately, Shannon hopes to contribute to the field through researching policies and to move toward rehabilitative and restorative justice.