FOCUS
Bryant’s research lies at the intersection of criminal justice policy and organizational theory, focusing on how organizations make decisions about and can better allocate resources to address social risk. Using mixed methods, his work highlights the importance of law and organizations in a larger social-ecological context. He plans to collaborate with policymakers and nonprofits to improve safety, health, and employment outcomes of incarcerated persons and in communities impacted by incarceration.
MORE ABOUT BRYANT
Bryant worked in criminal justice policy, research, and administration prior to graduate school. These experiences shaped his interest in improving how organizations address the interrelated challenges of crime, law, health, and economic mobility. He is committed to community-based research as a means of generating knowledge and social change.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — WINTER 2024
Regulation by Litigation in Correctional Health Services: A Mixed-Methods Policy Implementation Study
This dissertation explores litigation’s impact on correctional healthcare, specifically through consent decrees—a type of “legally binding performance improvement plan” negotiated by plaintiffs and defendants and subsequently approved and supervised by a court. This policy-implementation study consists of four interrelated essays—one introductory essay providing background on healthcare litigation in U.S. prisons and three empirical projects: a content analysis of consent decree text; interviews with policy actors; and a difference-in-differences study on the impact of consent decrees on correctional healthcare spending and hiring. Together, these comprise an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study of healthcare consent decrees in U.S. prisons.
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