My name is Briana Leone. I hold a BS in Criminology and a BA in Sociology, and am currently pursuing an MS in Criminal Justice: Behavioral Health. Currently, in my academic career, I am focusing on the role mental health and addiction treatment access, as well as access to multi-level social safety nets have on incarceration rates.
Other research interests of mine pertain to gentrification and crime, gentrification and community solidarity, as well as access to resources in changing neighborhood environments. My past research involvement has circulated around tabulating rates of expungement and observing rates of recidivism in the Philadelphia area. While working on this project I have been able to research and understand ways in which interconnected systems of employment, energy, and energy assistance can place heavy burdens on many households. The burdens experienced prior to the pandemic were also accentuated once conditions of medical and economic vulnerability ensued.
As a research assistant, I hope to continue building necessary methodological and technical tools to conduct community ethnographic research. Between March and September 2020, I served as the Energy Rights Project research co-op. During this time my research focused on collecting data and analyzing utility moratoriums across the United States, data management for the Spring 2020 Shifting Energy Demands During COVID-19 survey, building pedagogoical resources for learning about energy vulnerability, drafting literary reviews on energy scholarships, and adding scholarly literature to our archive. To learn about my other research activities with the Energy Rights Project please view my portfolio.
