Raven Simonds

Anticipated Social Support Networks of Incarcerated Men Preparing for Reentry: Resource Diversity, Network Density, and Individual-Level Correlates

New York City Criminal Justice Agency Research Analyst

Raven Simonds’ research interests lie at the intersection of punishment and incarceration, social support and social networks, public policy, and applied quantitative methods. Raven is interested in better understanding the consequences of incarceration, the processes of reentry, and importantly, how social support can explain the variation in both. Her dissertation explores how social support networks shape the reentry experience and how this knowledge can then inform the delivery of programs and services. Raven’s research agenda broadly aims to show the value of supportive actions made by others and provide tangible solutions for how this can be enhanced. Her work related to incarceration and social support was recently published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation.

Raven’s research also acknowledges that for research to be meaningful, it must blend with the goals of criminal justice organizations and the individuals those organizations seek to serve. In turn, she seeks to enrich both the community and the academy through collaborative work with practitioners and stakeholders. As a Research Assistant and Project Manager with the Center for Correctional Solutions, Raven currently manages five research projects. Some of these projects include a randomized control trial piloting financial assistance for formerly incarcerated individuals, an evaluation of community reentry coalitions, and an evaluation of motivational interviewing for institutional correctional officers.

In addition to research, Raven has taught several courses at ASU, including a graduate-level “Seminar in Criminal Justice,” and undergraduate-level “Research Methods,” and “Race, Ethnicity, and Crime.” Raven views a principal responsibility of an instructor is to foster an environment where students feel supported and empowered in their pursuit of knowledge. She is enthusiastic about the prospect of teaching new classes and developing her own.

Raven hopes to pursue an ambitious research agenda that approaches the study of punishment, social control, and public policy in an innovative and meaningful way, as well as teach topics related to criminology and criminal justice with accessibility and empathy.