I am a DPhil Candidate in the Sociology Department at The University of Oxford. Previously, I completed her Masters of Science in Sociology at The University of Oxford in the 2020-2021 academic year. Prior to studying at Oxford, I completed my Bachelor of Arts, Honors with Distinction at Queen's University in Canada.
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I am from Toronto, Canada and have extensive experience working with and volunteering for Correctional Services Canada (CSC). Read more about how my experience with CSC inspired my current research here.
For my Doctoral research, under the supervision of Dr. David Kirk, I will examine the structural support available to the recently-released, formerly incarcerated inmates in post-pandemic times – focusing specifically on marginalized offenders released during the time of the pandemic.
My research is motivated by the following questions:
With the Covid-19 pandemic prompting the early release of thousands of inmates each month to fight the spread of coronavirus in prisons (Vose et al., 2020), what do we know about those being released? What kind of structural support is available, if any, to this population during these challenging times? With research showing those released facing heightened anxiety, a higher risk of substance abuse, a higher risk of suicide and a higher risk of domestic violence, due to the strained access to resources and treatment upon their hastened release (Piel, 2020), what is being done to promote safer reintegration? My research urgently calls for policymakers to re-evaluate the practices that surround re-entry, particularly in times of global crises.
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Meet Helen
DPhil Candidate, The University of Oxford
I am a Research Assistant employed by Nuffield College and the Department of Sociology at Oxford University.
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I am also the President of The Oxford University Canadian Students' Society (OUCSS)
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When I'm not in a library, I like to spend my time volunteering and working with organizations that aid in the re-entry of those recently released from prisons in the United Kingdom.
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What I've been up to
Some exciting upcoming projects...
At the moment, I am working on a chapter for the forthcoming 'Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Crime and Justice Policy', which I co-author with Dr. David Kirk. The handbook will serve as an authoritative and leading scholarly source on research and experience on evidence-based policy as it applies to crime and justice in the U.S and across the Western world. Our chapter is tentatively entitled ‘Making Prisoner Re-entry Evidence-Based’
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My Masters Thesis has also been selected for presentation at the 2022 Canadian Sociological Association Conference to be held in June. You can find out more about the upcoming conference here.
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In addition to my own research, I also work alongside Dr. David Kirk and Dr. Marti Rovira, investigating whether former police officers in the United States face stigma in the labor market following the social unrest from lethal police violence, through an experimental audit research design. As a Research Assistant on the project, I am responsible for data collection, storage, and subsequent analysis.
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What I'm Currently Reading
If you know me, you know I never leave the house without a book. My DPhil research demands me to be read at least 2-3 titles a week. Here are some of the one's I've been loving lately...
The Will to Punish
Didier Fassin - 2018
This one is a classic text that explores different theories of punishment.
A Woman Doing Life
Erin George - 2010
A look into life in prison from the perspective of incarcerated women in the United States
The Right to Sex
Amira Srinivasan - 2021
This one is my guilty pleasure -- aka unrelated to my research. A must-read ! I could not put it down.
Home Free
David Kirk - 2020
A natural experiment exploring neighborhood effects on re-entry outcomes and desistence
Punish & Critique
Adrian Howe - 1994
A feminist analysis of penality and theories of punishment. A bit old, but still incredibly relevant.
Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner’s Handbook
Jonathan Rudin - 2019
A thorough evaluation of the issues that exist in overrepresentation of Indigenous communities in Canadian prisons
My Publications
Refereed Contributions:
Kosc, Helen. August 2021. “Modern Man’s Predicament: How the Reorganizing of Temporal Rhythms has Influenced Contemporary Consumption Practices in North America” URL: https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/325/%3Cem%3ESocial_Problems%3C/em%3E_Journal/
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Kosc, Helen. May 2021. Outsourcing Responsibility: A Review of Virginia Eubanks’ ‘Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police and Punish the Poor,’”
Kosc, Helen. August 2019. Not Part of the Sentence: An Examination of the Flaws in Canadian Correctional Facilities, URL: https://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/325/%3Cem%3ESocial_Problems%3C/em%3E_Journal/
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Kosc, Helen. August 2021. “ (SSSP).
Kosc, Helen. August 2021. “ CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Mental Health and Healthcare Disparities Inside and Outside of Prison or Jail,” The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP).
Non-refereed contributions
Kosc, Helen. September 2021. “Freedom Amidst Crisis: Experiences of Inmate Re-entry during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and Implications for Support Networks and Services.” Department of Sociology, The University of Oxford.
Kosc, Helen. April 2020. “A Shortage of Girls & An Excess of Men: China’s One-Child Policy & It’s Undeniable Legacy,” .
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Kosc, Helen & Kirk, David. Forthcoming. “Making Prisoner Re-entry Evidence-Based,” The Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Crime and Justice Policy.
Non-Refereed Contributions:
Forthcoming Contributions: