My primary materials to conduct this research were my smartphone, laptop, and car. I recorded my in-person interviews using an audio recording app called Otter.ai on my smartphone and used Zoom’s recording functionality to audio- and video-record Zoom interviews. I also used my laptop and smartphone, as well as paper and pen, to conduct research and data analysis. For traveling to interviews across New York I primarily used my own car. This research was supported by an Honors Research Grant from UMass Amherst received in May 2021. Funds were provided for gas money for travel, laptop repairs in preparation for my summer of interviews, and any potential car repairs needed. With the grant I was able to purchase a new laptop when my pre-existing laptop had several hardware failures, and to begin traveling around Upstate conducting my interviews.

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I have also received various kinds of specialized training that prepared me to complete the different facets of my thesis project, both in academic and real-world settings. In the spring of 2020, I completed the UMass Amherst Honors research seminar class ‘Interviewing as a Research Tool’ (391AH) with an experienced interviewer and researcher. Through conducting my own research project as part of the class, I studied the ethical considerations of interviewing, project proposal-writing, created informed consent forms and interview guides, and practiced interview analysis and the presentation of findings. In the spring of 2021 I participated in the UMass Amherst Sociology class ‘Field Research Methods’ with another experienced interviewer and a future member of my Honors Thesis Committee, Professor Millie Thayer. I studied, and once again practiced, the academic and theoretical foundations of qualitative research, the ethical considerations at every stage of an interviewing project, and developing rapport with participants. For the final project I chose to interview a prison employee, further strengthening my skills in the arena of criminal justice interviewing.

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My interview project required an IRB protocol, as previously mentioned. I had multiple conversations with UMass HRPO personnel and my thesis committee to develop a plan and proposal in the spring of 2021. I submitted a Determination Form and an IRB Protocol submission and received approval with 'exempt' status. I completed the UMass CITIProgram virtual training "Social and Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel" which trains students and faculty to conduct research in the field of social and behavioral science. For this research project, my summer 2021 in-person internship at Warren County Jail (internship not affiliated with UMass), and my UMass-credited internship at Hampshire County Jail in spring 2022 I signed UMass Field Experience Risk Acknowledgement Forms.

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Culturally and socially this research also required training not only to engage with my participants and my intended audience, but also to know where to look and what information may or may not be important. The population of service providers and jail staff I interviewed work with some of the most vulnerable populations in our country. The work they do is very complicated and often takes place at an intersection of NYS Office of Mental Health and Office of Addiction Supports and Services requirements, agency regulations, Department of Corrections guidelines, funding structures, and political landscapes in Upstate New York. I've worked hard to put myself in positions and train in specific ways to be able to navigate and understand this landscape. In November 2020 I created an internship with the ABLE Reentry Program in Warren County jail, meeting in-person with inmates and jail staff and working to expand the programs and opportunities for inmates. This was not a preexisting internship so I created it – I contacted the woman who runs the program, asked to learn more about the program, and asked if I could assist her in any and all ways possible. This prepared me to engage with a wide variety of people and exposed me to the structure and politics of an Upstate County and the politics and process behind running a reentry program. To enter Warren County jail I also completed a criminal background check, drug test, and security clearance procedure. I was also employed by the outpatient recovery center that created ABLE, and gained formal training and experience with HIPAA, a direct service setting, and the language used by treatment and reentry providers. This work placed me within a network of service providers, agencies, and nonprofits in Upstate New York who work with justice-involved people. My work expanding services in Warren County jail and at ABLE made me recognizable to reentry providers in the surrounding area. My perspective on reentry programs has also been heavily informed by my extensive internship and work with the ABLE Case Management reentry program in Warren County Jail.