While the United States is not known for its dignified or humane approach in the treatment of incarcerated persons, there are pockets of innovation in jails and prisons that offer hope for a better future. In this project, we evaluate the B.R.A.V.E. unit within one of the state prisons in Massachusetts. The vision of B.R.A.V.E. (Building Responsible Adults through Validation and Education) is to develop young fathers into positive role models to build strong family and community bonds and end recidivism for future generations. To achieve this, the B.R.A.V.E. unit seeks to develop young fathers' emotional awareness through improved perspective and higher values while providing a community of dignity, accountability, integrity, and respect. The unit offers extensive access to educational and cognitive behavioral programming using a nationally recognized curriculum and features additional programs specific to young fathers (including Nurturing Fathers and 24/7 Dads).
In this presentation, we report primarily on our qualitative findings from our evaluation of the unit. To evaluate the pro-social impacts of the unit on incarcerated individuals, we interviewed the young men who are currently part of the B.R.A.V.E. unit to better understand their experiences within this unit and to capture their self-appraisal of its impacts on them. To evaluate the impact of this innovation on overall prison culture, we also conducted extensive interviews with the staff who envisioned, designed and then launched the unit, the staff who work on this unit, the mentors who are integral to the model, and the prison’s leadership.
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Professor Natasha Frost
Professor, Northeastern University, United States
Natasha A. Frost (she/her) is professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Associate Dean of Research in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Co-Director of the Center on Crime, Race, and Justice at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Her research focuses on the causes, consequences, and impacts of mass incarceration on individuals, families and communities. Much of her recent work has focused on the impacts of conditions of confinement on those who live and work in prisons. Professor Frost is currently evaluating a young father’s unit in Massachusetts focused on family engagement and working with colleagues at four other universities on a seven state study on the sources and consequences of prison violence. Frost has also been awarded National Institute of Justice funding for a series of research projects related to officer health and wellbeing, with a specific focus on psychological distress and suicide among correction officers. Her most recent project, a longitudinal study of the careers of correction officers, seeks to distinguish the short- and long-term impacts of chronic operational and organizational stressors from impacts associated with exposures to violence and suicide. Frost was recently elected Vice President of the American Society of Criminology. Frost holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the City University of New York and an undergraduate degree in psychology from Northeastern University.
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Dr Rhiana Kohl
Executive Director, Office of Strategic Planning and Research, Massachusetts Department of Correction, United States
Rhiana Kohl, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Research at the MADOC, where she oversees all research, evaluations, performance measures, grant management, and strategic planning. With a PhD in clinical psychology, Dr. Kohl brings both clinical expertise and extensive research experience to the project. She has been conducting research in the Massachusetts’ criminal justice system for over 20 years, collaborating on projects with partners from multiple research organizations and universities. Throughout her years overseeing research in state government, she has been dedicated to improving the quality and value of research in prisons with a focus on conveying findings to practitioners and policy makers.
