I currently work in the Human Emotions Research Laboratory
under Dr. June Tangney where I am a research assistant working on two longitudinal
studies. One is a prospective study of moral emotions and cognitions (i.e. shame
and guilt) and recidivism of 508 serious offenders. The second is a Randomized
Clinical Trial of the restorative justice-inspired Impact of Crime group
intervention of 200 jail inmates nearing release into the community. Moreover,
Study 2 aims to empirically assess the feasibility and acceptability of victim
impact group interventions amongst jail inmates. Both are generally aimed to
assess the well being of participants post-release over time in order to
enhance offenders’ reintegration into the community.
First and foremost, I am responsible for collecting
time-sensitive data, which consists of arranging and conducting structured
clinical interviews over the phone with the previously incarcerated. At this
point in Study 1 (ongoing since 2002), the majority of participants are eligible
for later phases in the project, meaning that most of them have been released
into the community. At least two hours a week is dedicated to investigative
work aimed to track down and contact participants who are eligible to
participate in later phases of the project (we follow-up with participants at
minimum every three years up to 12 years post-release). Once a participant is
reached, a structured clinical interview can take anywhere from an hour to two
hours to complete, depending on the participant. Examples of some of the
questionnaires in the interview include HIV Risk Assessment, the Personality
Assessment Inventory (PAI), and measures that assess family and friend connectedness,
community connectedness, and substance abuse. Due to the sensitive nature of
some of the questions, I have been trained in suicide assessment as to connect
a participant with appropriate referrals and resources when a participant affirms
items on a scale that indicate they may be at immediate risk for harming
themselves. Outside of data collection and investigative work, I am also
responsible for data entry and coding official FBI criminal records to prepare
for data entry (to assess recidivism in Study 2). As I have largely been
responsible for coding criminal history for repeat offenders over the past
couple months, I have learned that criminal records, classification reports,
and self-reported criminal behavior are often discrepant with one another. This
certainly highlights the challenges of this area of research and any type of
longitudinal research that aims to piece together the various aspects of an
individual’s life to assess levels of functioning in the community.
I am striving to pursue a graduate degree in Clinical
Psychology that will give me the flexibility to research the complex
interactions between comorbid psychological disorders (e.g. substance abuse
disorders and mood or personality disorders) and areas of daily functioning
such as academic performance, motivation, and perception of independence. A
great deal of meaningful research and literature in the field of Clinical
Psychology is longitudinally based; thus, being apart of these longitudinal
projects has prepared me for the future as a scholar in this field.
