KINGSTON, R.I. — Hannah Beaucaire of Gardiner, class of 2022, a political science and criminology and criminal justice major and a College of Arts and Science Fellow at the University of Rhode Island, will spend the summer researching solitary confinement practices in U.S. prisons. Working with Assistant Professor Natalie Pifer, Beaucaire will examine large-scale reforms that her home state is enacting to determine if the reforms should be adopted nationally.
“One of the reasons I was interested in studying solitary confinement was the extreme physiological consequences it has been known to cause,” Beaucaire said, according to a news release from the university. “For such an extreme practice, I find solitary confinement to be under-regulated.”
The end result of her research will be an online platform that will include short videos providing a history of solitary confinement, its consequences and the reforms Maine is attempting. She plans to use social media to attract interest in the site, which she hopes will serve as an educational and advocacy tool.
“Without the monetary award I would have spent most of my time working a summer job,” she said, “but now I get to use that time to study something I find really exciting.”
The summer fellowship program funds undergraduates in an Arts and Sciences major to participate in research, scholarly or creative projects under the supervision of a faculty member for up to 10 weeks. This year, the program is awarding $28,000 in stipends supporting approximately 2,400 hours of research for students majoring in such fields as criminology and criminal justice, political science, computer science, and philosophy.
In addition to support from the College of Arts and Sciences RhodyNow Fund and its Dean’s Excellence Fund, the fellowship program is supported by a gift from Bob and Renamarie DiMuccio in honor of President David M. Dooley. As Dooley retires at the end of July, the DiMuccios wished to recognize his leadership in transforming URI over the last 12 years with a gift to support undergraduate research experiences that visibly impact students and build a pathway for their future success.
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