Finding my Dissertation Topic

The entire time I was in my old education program, I never quite knew what I would focus on for my dissertation. I had many research areas I cared about, but what would I want to spend a couple years researching and writing about? I was torn between many topics and never quite solidified with a "yes, this is it!" feeling. In criminal justice, my thesis topic came fairly easy - it is an autoethnography based on this blog and my experiences at FMC Carswell. It is looking specifically at self and collective efficacy in a federal women's prison and will add something to prison research that does not yet exist. My hope is to finish this semester and be working on a publication all next semester.

I am starting to also work on the baby steps of my dissertation at the same time. Sounds crazy, right? However, I need to be doing both right now because I am taking PhD courses while I am still completing this last Master's course and having this extra time on my thesis due to the issues that occurred Spring semester last year. I don't want to have to stay in school an entire extra year and my professors do not want me to either. I'm in an advanced research methods course right now that prefers we use the class to start thinking about our "topic," and I have...

I am going to focus on addictions and crime. After a 30 minute conversation with a professor last week, I am fairly certain the focus will be around the fact that incarceration does not best serve an addict or the victims of addiction based crime. I want to think very broadly in terms of defining addiction - including physical and behavioral addictions - with hopes that the research could help with pre-sentencing and/or placement decisions.

Too many people who are not career criminals or violent criminals are put into our prison system when what they need are programs that will better serve them. I feel that prisons are broken for all, but if we have a system called "prisons" they should be for those that are a "danger" to society. Addicts are a danger to society only because they are first a danger to themselves. If programs can help combat that first issue, they can potentially combat the second.

Our prison system does not help individuals the way we need it to. If someone is an addict, there are many ways to continue to be an addict or cross-addict in prison. The system is not set up to actually help a person connect to other people and start to build the fellowship necessary to really succeed in society post-incarceration. Something different is needed. Some research exists, but most is around drugs and alcohol, little if any around other forms of addiction.

So, I have my dissertation topic. How I will conduct my research is yet to be decided. The exact focus within this topic will be small. Many of the decisions will be decided as I move forward. However, my research will be on addiction and crime. I am excited.