Penn Sociology Alumni Spotlight:
Kristin Turney, Ph.D ('09)
Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of California-Irvine
Kristin Turney, who will be our colloquium speaker on March 25, earned her doctorate from Penn Sociology in 2009. We had a chance to catch up with her to learn more about her current research and the next steps.
Tell us a bit about your current research.
Kristin: My research investigates the complex and dynamic role of families in creating, sustaining, and exacerbating social inequalities. My current projects include the collateral consequences of incarceration for family life, the effects of depression on individuals and children, and the causes and consequences of childhood health inequalities.
What is the next significant step in your research?
Kristin: I am beginning a longitudinal qualitative study of romantic partners and children connected to the incarcerated; the goal of this project is to generate a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the intra- and inter-generational consequences of incarceration, and to inform effective policy and practice interventions to alleviate inequality.
What motivates you to do the research that you are doing?
Kristen: Incarceration is one of the most pressing social problems in the United States today. Individuals who are incarcerated, and those connected to them, tend to experience a multitude of disadvantages even before they're incarcerated. Thinking about how incarceration can then reinforce and exacerbate already existing inequalities is important for understanding the future of inequality in this country.
Kristin will present her talk, "The Unequal Consequences of Mass Incarceration for Children," on Wednesday March 25th in McNeil 286-287 as part of the Penn Sociology Colloquium Series.