The desire to bring hope to those living within prison walls has always been a passion for Kristine Wells ’08. Thanks to her cutting-edge research, prisoners may now get the help they need.

Wells, a sociology major, recently completed a study with Professor of Sociology Alan McEvoy, which reexamined the Prison Rape Elimination
Act (PREA) passed by Congress in 2003. The study has since been published in the Sexual Assault Report, a leading vehicle for dissemination of breakthrough research in the field. In the study, Wells demonstrates how PREA has not been fully implemented in Ohio, including promised funding, training of prison officials and appropriate prisoner counseling to assist in the elimination of prison rape. She then outlines a series of recommendations,which the Ohio Department of Corrections has indicated it wants to review.

Wells, who intends to pursue graduate work in social services, plans to work in a prison setting, so she can help prisoners personally.