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Making Room for Family: CTCIP Creates Child-Friendly Visiting Spaces Across Connecticut

October 29, 2026

For children visiting a parent in prison, the experience can be daunting. Security procedures and unfamiliar surroundings can make maintaining a family connection difficult.

The Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) Initiative at the University of Connecticut’s Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) is working to make those visits more welcoming. In partnership with the Connecticut Department of Correction (CTDOC), CTCIP has helped transform visiting areas at state correctional facilities with child-friendly furniture, books, toys, games, arts and crafts materials, fresh paint, colorful murals and designated play areas.

“Having child-friendly visiting spaces is important because, should a child want to visit their incarcerated parent, they deserve to have a safe space,” said Kate Mazzotta, CTCIP policy and research associate.

Why child-friendly spaces matter

Visiting a parent in a correctional facility can be stressful for children, who must navigate an unfamiliar environment. Creating a visitation space with a child’s vantage point in mind can help ease that stress and encourage more natural interactions between parents and children.

Research suggests that maintaining family contact during incarceration can help children preserve relationships with their parents and ease feelings of separation. Family visitation has also been associated with improved emotional well-being for incarcerated people and lower rates of institutional misconduct and recidivism.

A child-friendly play rug in Manson-Walker's visitation area
A child-friendly play rug in Manson-Walker’s visitation area

“Child-friendly visiting spaces allow some sense of normalcy,” Mazzotta said. “Being able to play on the floor, do arts and crafts, and read together allows parents and children to bond and maintain or build their relationship.”

From indoor play rugs to outdoor playgrounds

CTCIP’s work with DOC facilities dates to 2019, when the initiative collaborated with the Office of Early Childhood to improve the visiting area at Cybulski Correctional Institution. Since then, work has expanded to 12 facilities statewide, ranging from furnishing child-friendly spaces with age-appropriate items to renovating waiting areas and visiting rooms.

York correctional institution playground equipment
York’s outdoor playground was completed in 2023

At York Correctional Institution in Niantic, an outdoor playground installed in 2023 gives children the opportunity to play outside with their incarcerated mothers during visits. The project offers an alternative to the traditional visiting room and creates more opportunities for families to interact through play.

Other projects have focused on making indoor spaces more inviting and functional.

  • At Carl Robinson Correctional Institution and Manson Youth Institution, improvements included furniture, children’s books, games, toys and wall décor.
  • At Corrigan Correctional Center, renovations encompassed the lobby, waiting area and visiting room. The work included fresh paint, children’s furniture, a designated children’s area, arts and crafts materials and a mural completed in May 2026.
  • At Osborn Correctional Institution, the project included painting, new furnishings and a partitioned children’s area, along with books, toys, games and arts and crafts materials.
  • MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution also received improvements to its visiting room and waiting area, including child-friendly furnishings and activity materials.

Additional improvements are planned or underway at other facilities, including Brooklyn and Cheshire Correctional Institutions and Hartford Correctional Center.

Murals painted by IMRP partners in collaboration with CTDOC help make the spaces feel less institutional, creating a more welcoming environment for visitors, staff and residents.

“I enjoy coming in and looking at a nice mural,” says Officer Miranda of Garner Correctional Institution, which partners with the IMRP through the International Justice Exchange initiative. “It’s not like you’re coming into work and just seeing the gray walls. Little things to make our environment better are important. It also puts their [residents and visitors] minds at a calm setting and at ease to see a mural.”
View before and after photos of murals at Hartford and Corrigan Correctional Centers

“Seeing the before and after of a space that we have worked on is a great accomplishment,” she said. “Knowing that we are putting our money towards helping kids and their incarcerated parent be able to spend time together is priceless.”

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For more information about CTCIP and its many initiatives, visit CTCIP.org

CTCIP Symposium Calls for Action to Support Children with Incarcerated Parents

October 26, 2026

On Thursday, October 22, the CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative (CTCIP) held its first symposium at the Chrysalis Center in Hartford. About 100 partners and collaborators attended the half-day event in recognition of Parental Incarceration Awareness Month.

“I felt like we had the right people in the room, motivated to make a change,” said Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, CTCIP’s senior program manager. Peck’s-Agaya and the CTCIP team envisioned the event a year earlier, and spent the past three months planning every detail. “We can’t keep having conversations about criminal justice reform without grappling with the effects of incarceration on families and coming together to implement sustainable strategies.”

State Representative Corey Paris (D-Stamford), the first African American man to represent the 145th House District, made the early morning commute to the Capitol area to provide opening remarks. Paris also serves as the House Chair of the Committee on Children.

“The experience of any child with an incarcerated parent should be at the forefront of our work to end the stigma and to end whatever traumas may come from that,” Paris said. “Our work is to ensure that they will have full and meaningful lives as adults.”

A panel of people with lived experience followed. Each spoke about the stigma around incarceration, the lack of empathy for family members during arrests, and the need for support for caregivers – those critical connections that help a child feel seen and heard.

“You do become resilient and strong to the point that you think it didn’t affect you,” said Dani Gordon, whose experience as a CTCIP scholarship recipient was highlighted earlier this month. “It does teach you something.”

For Kiana Cintron, a recent recipient of the CTCIP scholarship, the symposium marked the first time she had shared the story of her father’s incarceration. She was just 10 years old when he was arrested in their family home. He was released from prison shortly before her high school graduation.

“I took on a lot of responsibility as a 10-year-old trying to make my mom’s life easier and care for my sister,” Cintron recalled. She was only able to visit her father only twice during his incarceration because of the distance and expense, before video visitation became an option. Today, she is a fourth-year UConn student majoring in biology on a pre-med track, reflective of how those early challenges shaped her. 

“His mistakes and his choices do not define him or me,” Cintron said.

CTCIP senior project manager Irvine Peck's-Agaya welcomed attendees
CTCIP senior project manager Irvine Peck’s-Agaya welcomed attendees

“As the panelists shared, you could hear people around the room responding emotionally,” said Peck’s-Agaya. “I felt that our panelists were giving us a call to action, because policy decisions have real and tangible impacts on children and families. That is one of our guiding principles at CTCIP – to put forward the voices of people who are so often impacted by policies.”

School of Public Policy and IMRP Assistant Research Professor Dr. Lydia Wileden presented Trends in Connecticut’s Carceral Visitation (2019-2026), setting the stage for discussion of past and current barriers to visitation.  

Special guest Dr. Bree Boppre, a well-known researcher in the field who works for The Urban Institute, traveled from Nevada to present How to Support Families Impacted by Incarceration: Strategies to Improve Access to Communication and Connections. Her presentation included national statistics and challenged attendees to consider visitation from a child’s perspective, including how facilities could make visiting areas more child-friendly. CTCIP and the Connecticut Department of Correction (CTDOC) have been collaborating to improve visitation areas within nearly a dozen institutions statewide.

IMRP Director Andrew Clark moderates panel of CTDOC contributors
IMRP Director Andrew Clark moderated the afternoon panel

IMRP Director Andrew Clark moderated the final panel, featuring CTDOC personnel comprising deputy wardens, wardens, and district administrators. Panelists discussed ongoing efforts to improve support for families at correctional facilities and the need for greater collaboration across systems.

“It isn’t an us against them,” District Administrator Eulalia Garcia said, challenging common portrayals of corrections in the media. “We do care, we do want family involvement. We will go above and beyond to make that happen so long as the support system wants to be involved.”

Garcia pointed to special events inside facilities, including “Playdates with Dad,” and other child-friendly programming. She also described the many roles correctional officers take on to provide both security and support.

Partners were asked to help secure additional funding, legislative support, and input to “help think outside the box” and see things from a different angle. 

“One solution does not fit all,” said Peck’s-Agaya. “As we’re thinking about solutions and the importance and benefits of maintaining connections for kids while a parent is incarcerated, we need to think about the unique needs of children in that population.”

Panelists and attendees agreed that the trauma of parental incarceration is not only felt when visiting a parent but often extends to other areas of a child’s life including housing, education, and social services, and has financial and behavioral impacts for kids.

“For our team, it was important that folks leave with tangible actions or new connections, and I can proudly say that we accomplished that,” summarized Peck’s-Agaya. “Beyond the new connections we made, I heard attendees making plans to connect and strategize about how they could carry what they learned into their work. I hope we can build upon that momentum.”

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Video and photos from the event will be posted when available.

A Different Kind of Stage: Kate Mazzotta Finds Her Role in Advocacy

October 20, 2026

When Kate Mazzotta was studying theater at Wagner College, she was focused on what happened behind the curtain.

Her major in Theater & Speech with a concentration in Design, Technology & Management taught her how to coordinate people, think creatively, and make complicated productions come together, but she wasn’t sold on stage management as a future career.

“Policy was always in the back of my mind while at Wagner,” Mazzotta says. “I chose government and sociology classes as electives. I just never connected the dots.”

Today, Mazzotta is a Policy and Research Associate at UConn’s Institute of Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP), where she works closely with the CT Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) initiative. Her work spans policy research, legislative advocacy and community engagement through hands-on events and facility design improvements.

She admits her path to policy is unconventional, but one that makes perfect sense in retrospect.

“I was always trying to figure out how to transfer my stage management skills to something to help people,” she says.

Mazzotta grew up in a political family. Her mother, Susan Keane, spent more than four decades working at the Connecticut General Assembly, and her father, Vincent Mazzotta, was a former state representative. Still, politics wasn’t her intended career path.

The Capitol was my playground.

It was family friend Jillian Gilchrest, the current state representative from West Hartford, and a UConn School of Social Work alumna, who encouraged Mazzotta to consider the Master of Social Work program.

By the end of her first semester, Mazzotta says, it all fell into place

“I’d never felt this way about school and the career path that made sense. Things just clicked.”

Her concentration in Policy Practice offered a way to bring together her interests in government, research, advocacy and social work, with an emphasis on translating ideas into meaningful change.

Mazzotta leads IMRP staff and grad assistants on a tour of the Capitol
Mazzotta leads IMRP staff and grad assistants on a tour of the Capitol

From the classroom to the community

Mazzotta began putting that education into practice through her first MSW practicum with the Connecticut House Democrats’ policy department, where she gained experience with the legislative process. She then completed her second practicum with IMRP, working with CTCIP. After her graduation, that role led to a full-time opportunity with IMRP. She became a full-time Policy and Research Associate in July of 2026.

Her role extends well beyond a traditional research position. Having served as a previous tour guide at the Capitol, she offered behind-the-scenes tours to IMRP staff members and UConn School of Public Policy students, and led CTCIP’s efforts to increase its presence before the legislature, offering written and in-person testimony on several bills in support of children with incarcerated parents.

Kate Mazzotta offering testimony on behalf of CTCIP

She’s also helped coordinate CTCIP’s hands-on programming inside Connecticut correctional facilities, including a winter family celebration at York Correctional Institution and a Father’s Day event at Osborn Correctional Institution. The events bring incarcerated parents together with their children for activities designed to support family connection and create more child-centered experiences within correctional settings.

At the Osborn event, Mazzotta saw firsthand why that work matters.

One father had not seen his five-year-old daughter in person since she was a baby. During the event, the two took photographs together.

“Having the opportunity to take pictures together means he now not only has lasting memories from the day, but he has a picture he can look at of his growing daughter until he sees her again,” Mazzotta says.

Another moment was even more ordinary: a toddler fell and cut her lip. Her father picked her up, comforted her and helped care for her.

“It was a typical parenting moment between a father and a child,” Mazzotta says. “The only difference is that it happened inside of a carceral facility.”

Policy is about people.

That distinction gets at the heart of Mazzotta’s work with CTCIP.

The initiative’s work includes policy and legislative advocacy, but its growing focus on family-centered programming is creating opportunities to see the impact of those policies more directly. CTCIP’s 2025 annual report highlighted expanded outreach, partnerships and hands-on programming, including child-friendly visiting spaces and family events inside correctional facilities.

Helping people understand the negative effects of parental incarceration is one step we can all take this month to raise awareness.

That perspective is particularly relevant in October, as CTCIP and its partners mark Parental Incarceration Awareness Month and continue efforts to raise awareness of the experiences and needs of children with incarcerated parents.

“CIPs are often overlooked when discussing the impact of the criminal legal system,” says Mazzotta. “Having a month dedicated to these kids gives all of us the chance to bring awareness not only to in-state efforts, but efforts around the country being made to help children with incarcerated family members. Helping people understand the negative effects of parental incarceration is one step we can all take this month to raise awareness.” 

For Mazzotta, it is the latest chapter in an ongoing career managing a production, only on a different type of stage, one that she knows she’s meant to be on.

“Look at me,” she says. “A theater kid from a political family studies stage management and goes on to become a policy person advocating for children with incarcerated parents.”

CTCIP Provides Scholarships, Helps Share Stories

October 14, 2026

When Danielle “Dani” Gordon first saw application information about the CT Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) scholarship in UConn’s school-wide Daily Digest, she wasn’t sure it was meant for her.

“I was hesitant because I was like, does this apply to me?” Gordon recalls. After looking through the application, she decided not to downplay her own experiences and submit an application.

“I kind of just told my story,” she says.

That decision gave Gordon additional financial support during the final years of her undergraduate education and an opportunity to reflect on experiences she hadn’t previously had the time or space to talk about.

The CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative (CTCIP) offers scholarships to UConn students who have been impacted by the incarceration of a parent or a close family member. Selected students may receive up to $1,500 per academic semester, with awards renewable for up to six semesters.

Launched in 2014, when the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) and CTCIP, the Institute’s longest-running initiative, were housed at their original home at Central Connecticut State University, the scholarship was designed to help alleviate the financial burden of college tuition. Since IMRP’s move to the UConn Hartford campus in 2021, the scholarship has been largely funded by annual UConn Gives fundraising and by individual donors. It is offered annually to UConn Hartford students as well as those on other UConn campuses.

“To date, the CTCIP scholarship has awarded more than 25 scholarships, totaling over $75,000, to students impacted by parental incarceration,” says Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, senior project manager for CTCIP. “The funds allow recipients to focus on their educational goals. They also receive support from the many CTCIP resources available from our team and on our website.”

A story she had kept quiet

As a child, Gordon knew that difficult things were happening in her family, but she often didn’t understand what was happening or feel that she could talk about it. She grew up primarily in New Haven, raised largely by her mother and grandmother. Her stepfather was in and out of incarceration while she was growing up, and an uncle on her mother’s side was also incarcerated for many years.

Her uncle’s incarceration was particularly complicated. Gordon remembers visiting him in jail and realizing that she barely knew the man who greeted her as though he knew her well.

“I remember realizing, I have an uncle. Like, I didn’t even know I had an uncle.”

Eventually, Gordon developed a close relationship with him. He encouraged her, repeatedly telling her she could accomplish things she wasn’t always sure she could do.

In January 2023, while Gordon was in college, her uncle – who was out on release – was killed by gun violence. His death followed the deaths of other members of his family in a house fire the previous year. The following year, Gordon’s grandmother, the family matriarch who had helped raise her, also died.

“It was just three years back-to-back to back,” Gordon said. “It was terrible.”

For much of her childhood, Gordon said, she learned to keep experiences like these to herself. She worried that talking about her family’s circumstances could lead to misunderstanding. She also didn’t know that other young people were experiencing similar things.

“We would talk about homelessness or poverty, but there was never a lesson we had where it was like, has anybody experienced incarceration?” she said.

It wasn’t until college, particularly during her sociology and social work classes, that she had opportunities to reflect on her childhood experiences.

More than financial support

By the time Gordon found the CTCIP scholarship, she was already accustomed to searching for scholarships to help pay for college. She knew that even relatively small awards could make a difference.

But the CTCIP application offered something beyond financial assistance. Gordon said the process gave her a chance to stop and think about experiences she normally had little time to process. Being able to tell her story felt “therapeutic,” she said, while the scholarship itself gave her a greater sense of financial security.

“I wanted to raise some kind of awareness,” she says. “I just wanted to share it to somebody and get it off my chest.”

“The experiences they’ve had are so unique and challenging – we want to get their voices involved,” Peck’s-Agaya says. “The scholarship is a way to show students they are not alone and to encourage them as they pursue their education. But just as important, our work is to ensure services reflect their needs, so their perspective is important in all we do. More importantly, we want them to feel a sense of community.”

Gordon was an involved student at UConn, serving as an RA at Werth supporting the BSOUL and ScHOLA2RS House learning communities, providing targeted mentorship for students of color. She also served as president of the Encore dance team and on the Social Work student association. After graduating in May 2025, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in clinical social work at Southern Connecticut State University. Her experiences have influenced her interest in helping others and becoming a resource for people facing difficult circumstances.

“It won’t define your reach”

Gordon says she has become more vocal about the importance of talking about experiences that families may otherwise keep hidden. She also wants other young people affected by incarceration to know that their family history does not have to determine their future.

“Your experience may help you mold who you are, but it won’t define your reach,” she said.

And for future students who might read about the scholarship and wonder, as Gordon once did, “Does this apply to me?” Her answer is simple: it may be worth telling your story.

Applications for the 2027–2028 academic year will open in January 2027. Additional information about eligibility, application requirements, and deadlines can be found here when the application period begins.

Supporting Children, Strengthening Families: 10 Questions with Irvine Peck’s-Agaya

October 11, 2026

Irvine Peck’s-Agaya
Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, IMRP senior program manager

CT Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP), the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy’s longest-running initiative, has received legislative funding since 2008, the first such legislatively funded statewide initiative of its kind in the country. We spoke with senior program manager Irvine Peck’s-Agaya about the initiative, her path to IMRP, and supporting children and families affected by incarceration.

Q1: October is Children with Incarcerated Parents Month. Why is this important?

When a parent is incarcerated, the impact extends to their children, caregivers, and families. Children may experience separation, changes in their daily routines, financial challenges, and stigma, often without people around them recognizing what they are navigating. They are part of our schools, libraries, neighborhoods, and communities, yet they are often underserved and overlooked. October gives us an opportunity to bring those experiences into view and strengthen awareness of available support, and we want that awareness to shape the support these children receive throughout the year.

CTCIP’s first annual symposium will take place in Hartford on Oct 22

Q2: How will CTCIP acknowledge the month?

We have planned a variety of activities, including social media campaigns highlighting resources we’ve developed and resources from partners, library displays, supporting materials for schools, and amplifying national programs. The month will culminate with the CTCIP Symposium on October 22, our first ever, focused on embracing family connections and highlighting the voices of children and youth with incarcerated parents. We’re bringing together people with lived experience, practitioners, community partners, and policymakers to explore the importance of these relationships and the complexities involved in supporting them. My hope is that participants leave with a deeper understanding of children’s experiences and a clearer sense of their role in supporting families.

Q3: What does CTCIP do throughout the year?

Our work continues year-round through training and technical assistance for agencies, educators, and community partners, research and policy engagement, scholarships for UConn students, and family activities.

We work with correctional facilities and DCF to improve child-friendly visiting spaces and create opportunities for families to connect. We’re planning our second annual family celebration at York Correctional Institution in January 2027, with a toy drive running from late October through December. Earlier this year we had a Father’s Day event at Osborn. These activities give children and parents opportunities to play, talk, and share time together in a normalized environment.

books on a library shelf
CTCIP partners with Connecticut libraries to share resources for children with incarcerated parents, like this one in Terryville

Q4: Why is this work meaningful to you?

What makes this work meaningful to me is the opportunity to connect changes in systems with something very personal in a child’s life. A visiting space, a school’s response, or access to a resource can influence whether a child feels supported and included. As a mother, I also think about how much children depend on everyday moments of connection: sharing a meal, reading together, playing, or simply having someone listen. This work reminds me to keep those experiences at the center of our decisions while working toward lasting improvements in policy and practice.

Q5: Tell us about how you came to IMRP.

I joined IMRP in August 2021, right after graduating from UConn’s Higher Education and Student Affairs program. I had been seeking roles in student advising and student support. As an undergraduate, I spent a lot of time working with Wesleyan’s prison education and entrepreneurship programs to leverage social entrepreneurship to support people convicted of drug offenses. So much of that was inspired by my personal experiences seeing how incarceration impacted my family.

When I found CTCIP at IMRP, it was the first time I saw parental incarceration addressed without stigma. I found people who wanted to be part of the solution and address the collateral impact of incarceration on children and families through policy. I was immediately sold. I was brought on as a program assistant at that time and then later moved into an operations role, supporting all IMRP initiatives across the board, before earning the opportunity to run a project on my own.

Q6: CTCIP isn’t the only program you’re part of at IMRP. You lead and support a number of initiatives. Tell us about them.

I also oversee ReConnect CT: Digital Pathways, which focuses on expanding digital literacy and workforce readiness for people impacted by the justice system. Through partnerships with libraries, educational institutions, and community organizations, we help people build skills to navigate employment, education, services, and everyday tasks. I also have a pulse on the International Justice Exchange program.

Last academic year and this year, I’ve been leading a mentorship program with Jacob Werblow, in partnership with UConn’s Human Development and Family Science department and the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s Juvenile Residential Services. The program pairs college students with youth in secure, treatment-based residential settings to build prosocial relationships, increase exposure to higher education, and support youth development.

Q7: While you’re managing multiple projects, you’re also completing your MBA at UConn – your second master’s degree –  and you are the mother of a young child. How do you balance your many priorities?

the CTCIP team poses for a photo outside Osborn CI
Peck’s-Agaya with CTCIP staffers (L to R) Elizabeth Canavan, Anya McGlaughlin, and Kate Mazzotta

Good question! I often wonder that myself. I try to be intentional about my time, realistic about what I can accomplish, and clear about what needs my attention most. I’m also learning to ask for support and recognize that everything cannot receive the same level of attention at the same moment.

I have a great team here of high-achieving, thoughtful, and caring individuals, each of whom brings a unique blend of experience to the project. I appreciate that everyone brings their perspectives and energy to the work.

As for my studies, I’m in my final semester of the MBA, and I appreciate being able to apply what I’m learning to my work, including project management, fiscal and strategic planning, and organizational leadership. Being a student, a program manager, a spouse, and a mom gives me different perspectives on responsibility and growth.

Q8: Since 2014, the CTCIP scholarship has awarded more than 25 scholarships totaling over $75,000 to students impacted by the incarceration of a close family member. Why is the program important, and what success have you seen?

The scholarship addresses a financial need while recognizing an experience that can be overlooked in higher education. Since we’re located at a university, it’s also a great way to give back, show our presence on campus, and get students involved.

Recipients have described feeling recognized, encouraged in their studies, and motivated to help other students in the future. Those reflections speak to the importance of both financial support and a sense of belonging. Several of our recipients will actually be panelists at the symposium.

CTCIP helps fund improvements of child-friendly visiting spaces, like this one at Osborn CI

Q9: What are CTCIP’s priorities in the year ahead and what are you most proud of?

In the year ahead, our priorities are to expand funded programs designed around the needs of children with incarcerated parents, continue providing resources, and establish an advisory group that includes people with lived experience, state agencies, and community partners to help guide our work. With additional funding, we can support more services while continuing our work with DOC to improve child-friendly visiting spaces, inform policies, and create opportunities for family engagement.

I am most proud of the child-friendly engagement events we’ve created for children and their incarcerated parents, and our work with the legislature to secure additional funding for programs that support these families. That investment reflects trust in our work and a shared commitment to children with incarcerated parents.

Q10: Outside of UConn Gives, the university’s annual fundraising day, how else can the public support CTCIP?

I would encourage people to consider where children with incarcerated parents may already be present in their work and communities. You do not need to work in the justice system to make a difference. A teacher, librarian, coach, or community member can help by responding without judgment and respecting a child’s privacy. Children deserve to be understood as whole people, with their own interests, relationships, and hopes for the future, and not stigmatized by their parents’ behaviors. I hope October encourages people to carry that understanding into their everyday interactions throughout the year.

To learn more, visit https://ctcip.org/.

Different Paths, Shared Purpose: MSW Students Find a Place for Policy Practice at IMRP

September 22, 2026

MSW candidates Stav Keshet, Diane Cantello, and Susan Camorota
MSW candidates Stav Keshet, Diane Cantello, and Susan Camoroda at IMRP offices in the Hartford Times Building

They come to the University of Connecticut School of Social Work from universities across Connecticut and the Northeast, and as far away as California and England. 

Their professional backgrounds are just as varied: corporate social responsibility, child welfare, and stage management.  

Some are pursuing joint degrees in social work and public policy. One is a 35-year veteran of the corporate world. Another, a veteran of the U.S. Army.  

What do they have in common? 

They are among the UConn Master of Social Work students who have found their way to the Institute of Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) in the School of Public Policy, where their required practicum experiences give them an opportunity to contribute to policy research and legislative issues affecting Connecticut communities, particularly those involving criminal justice work.  

For IMRP, the relationship is a natural extension of the Institute’s long-standing student internship program. Each year, IMRP brings undergraduate and graduate students into its research and policy work, providing opportunities to gain practical experience in key initiatives including the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative, the International Justice Exchange, and additional legislative priorities.  

It’s a particularly logical fit for MSW students concentrating in policy practice. 

The concentration prepares students to examine the systems and policies that shape people’s lives, developing skills in policy analysis, research, advocacy, program evaluation, and legislative policy work. It is social work practiced at the macro level, with an emphasis on using policy to address inequality and advance more equitable outcomes. 

Bringing different experiences to policy 

Diane Cantello is no stranger to the working world.

Cantello is a second-year MSW student concentrating in macro policy and international social work. Before returning to school, she spent 35 years in the corporate world, leading corporate responsibility, social impact, communications and marketing functions for companies including Stanley Black & Decker, The Hartford, and Cigna. 

“I reached a point in my corporate career where I felt I had achieved what I wanted to and welcomed the opportunity to change my focus,” she says. “Coming back to academia was something I always had in the back of my mind.” 

The opportunity to study social work with a macro focus, she says, was particularly compelling. 

“I was looking for an internship opportunity with a macro perspective to look at ways policy can create systemic change for vulnerable populations,” Cantello says.  

At IMRP, Cantello is supporting the Institute’s International Justice Exchange, where she is gaining exposure to criminal justice and reentry policy reform. 

“The chance to look at things from an international and global perspective makes this work very interesting,” she says. 

For Susan Camoroda, the connection between prior experience and current internship is far more direct. 

A retired U.S. Army veteran, Camoroda received her MPA through the School of Public Policy’s Executive Fellows program. She’s now working on her MSW with a policy practice concentration at UConn. At IMRP, she is contributing to state-level studies related to military and veterans’ affairs under the direction of Lydia Wileden, assistant research professor.  

“These projects connect directly to my military experience,” she says. “It’s meaningful to help identify ways the state can better support those who have served and it allows me to continue to serve.” 

For more about Susan Camoroda’s 30 years of commissioned service, read From Service to Scholarship.

Stav Keshet, a joint MPP/MSW candidate, came to UConn with a background in political theory, social movements and qualitative research from Mount Holyoke College. Her interests in criminal legal reform helped her obtain a graduate assistant position with the IMRP upon entering her public policy studies. 

“I have always been passionate about government and policymaking,” Keshet says, of her decision to pursue the joint degree. “I was interested in getting a value-based perspective and examining policy and research from a human-based approach.” 

At IMRP, Keshet supports research initiatives related to correctional officer well-being, contributing to reports and policy briefs indented to inform the upcoming legislative sessions. 

“If you’re a macro social work student, there are a lot of different projects at the IMRP that can provide exposure to social justice and service,” she says. “You can engage with the public and with the community, you can have exposure to the legislature, and you can be in a number of spaces, to see how things happen here.” 

Connecting experience to impact 

For Lorien Velasquez, the opportunity to work at IMRP connects two areas of her professional experience. 

A second-year MSW student concentrating in policy practice, Velasquez earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central Connecticut State University before beginning her career with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. She later became a supervisor and then joined the Connecticut Judicial Branch as an adult probation officer. 

Her professional experiences have shaped her interest in child welfare and the criminal justice system, particularly the ways those systems affect children and families. 

“I saw the impact that the children with parents who were in the system had on their upbringing, development, and overall self-esteem,” she says. “I wanted to be part of these tough conversations, especially being able to resonate with my own life experiences as a social worker and as an adult probation officer.” 

At IMRP, Velasquez is supporting the Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents initiative. 

“The IMRP has different programs and initiatives that have a strong impact on today’s society,” she says. 

That variety is part of what makes the Institute a valuable practicum setting for students whose interests may span multiple policy areas. 

Practicum education is an integral part of UConn’s MSW curriculum. Students complete two practicum placements, with advanced-year students completing placements focused primarily on their chosen concentration. Current requirements call for students in the Hartford MSW program to spend between 17 and 20 hours a week at their practicum placement during the academic year. 

For policy practice students, the practicum hours provide an opportunity to move beyond studying policy in the classroom to participating in the work itself.  

Where an internship can lead 

That experience can also open doors to future opportunities. Kate Mazzotta offering testimony on behalf of CTCIP

Kate Mazzotta was the third MSW student to intern with IMRP and the first to turn the experience into full-time employment. She arrived with an unconventional background for a policy researcher: a bachelor’s degree in Theater and Speech from Wagner College, with a concentration in Design, Technology and Management. 

 

“Policy was always in the back of my mind while at Wagner,” she says. “I chose government and sociology classes as electives. I just never connected the dots.” 

During her third year of MSW studies, Mazzotta completed a practicum with the IMRP where she supported CT Children with Incarcerated Parents, working to build a stronger presence at the legislature by offering in-person testimony in support of child-friendly legislation. She’s since been hired as a full-time IMRP employee as a policy and research associate on the CTCIP team. 

“There’s a natural flow to policy and social work,” says Mazzotta. “Macro policy people are community organizers. They run grassroot campaigns. They write social welfare policy. Social work is influenced by state and national policies.” 

For current MSW students considering where their practicum might lead, Mazzotta has simple advice. 

“Figure out where the opportunities are,” she says. “While the Practicum office will help with placements, you can look for your own opportunities. Always ask questions, do your research, and don’t rely on just your classes and your professors. Advocate for yourself as if you were a client.” 

Learn more about the IMRP here:  https://imrp.dpp.uconn.edu/ 

 

A Legacy Continued: How One Student’s Story Connects to Connecticut’s Anti-Profiling Efforts

September 14, 2026

a man standing in front of of an academic building
Sincere Valentine, MPA candidate

Some know Alvin W. Penn as a longtime public servant, representing Bridgeport for five terms in the Connecticut Senate. 

Others know him as the namesake of the Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act, which prohibits racial profiling in traffic stops across the state. 

But to MPA candidate Sincere Valentine, he was simply “P-pop.”  

Sincere Valentine grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, raised primarily by his mother in a close-knit family where stories about “P-pop” were always present, even if details were sometimes sparse. Alvin W. Penn, a formative family figure who helped raise Valentine’s mother from a young age, remained a central presence in their lives until his passing in 2003, when Valentine was just a year old. 

“I don’t have direct memories of him,” Valentine says. “But through stories from my mom, my grandma, and my uncle, I feel like I do.” 

Those stories painted a picture of a man deeply committed to his family, his community, and, above all, education. Valentine recalls hearing how Penn instilled discipline and curiosity in his children, often turning everyday requests into learning opportunities. 

“If they wanted something, he’d tell them to write him an essay about why they want it,’” Valentine says with a laugh. “Or he’d have them read the dictionary. He was big on education, big on hard work.” 

For much of his childhood, Valentine understood that his grandfather had been a respected public servant doing important work in Bridgeport. But it wasn’t until his teenage years that he began to grasp the scope of that legacy. 

As a participant in the Bridgeport Junior Council Program, Valentine had the opportunity to shadow town council members, attend public meetings and engage with community leaders. During the program’s closing ceremony, his lineage to Penn was mentioned. 

a man holding a baby
Sincere as a baby with his grandfather, Alvin Penn

“Once people found out, it was like everything shifted,” he says. “Person after person came up to me saying, ‘Your grandfather was a great man.’ That was the first time I really realized how much his name meant.” 

Still, even then, the full significance of Penn’s impact – and the law bearing his name – had yet to come into focus. 

After graduating from high school in 2020 and enrolling at the University of Connecticut, Valentine pursued a degree in political science with a minor in sociology, driven by a longstanding interest in how systems shape people’s everyday lives. 

“I’ve always been interested in how things work, especially when it comes to government and the welfare of people,” he says. “I knew I wanted to do something in criminal justice or public service.” 

Initially considering law school, Valentine instead found himself drawn to public policy. During his senior year, a chance conversation at a career fair with Bryan Callender, UConn’s School of Public Policy outreach coordinator, introduced him to the Master of Public Administration program. 

As he learned more, the fit became clear. 

“Instead of enforcing the law, I realized I could be part of creating it,” he says. “That felt like a greater impact.” 

Now in his second year of the MPA program with anticipated graduation of May of 2027, Valentine is further considering how to align his interest in criminal justice with policy work. That exploration led him just down the hall from the School of Public Policy to the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) and, unexpectedly, back to his grandfather’s legacy. 

In 1996, while serving in the state Senate, Alvin W. Penn was stopped and questioned by a white police officer while driving through Trumbull, a largely white town near his home in Bridgeport. When Penn challenged the stop, the officer reportedly refused to provide a reason and threatened to issue a ticket if he pressed further. 

a blue and black CT state logoThe incident helped spur action. In 1999, the General Assembly passed the Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act on a bipartisan basis, prohibiting law enforcement from stopping or searching individuals based on race or other protected characteristics. 

To strengthen implementation, the state later established an advisory board in 2012 to standardize traffic stop data collection across departments. That work continues today through the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project (CTRP3), housed at IMRP, which supports transparency, accountability, and a data-driven approach to policing. 

“I knew the law existed, but I didn’t realize how much it was still being used, studied, and expanded,” Valentine says, describing a realization that was both personal and profound. 

CTRP3’s work has been so significant in Connecticut that Ken Barone, project manager and IMRP’s associate director, regularly receives inquiries from other states, including Illinois, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C., about implementing the “Connecticut Model” in their jurisdictions.   

View “We Want You to Know…” CTRP3’s PSA about racial profiling

“It made me feel like his work, what he went through, it wasn’t for nothing,” Sincere says of his grandfather. “Even after his lifetime, it’s still making a difference.” 

That moment also reframed how he sees his own path forward. 

Rather than feeling pressure to live up to a legacy, Valentine sees opportunity. 

“I don’t look at it as a weight,” he says. “I look at it as a chance. I’ve always been interested in criminal justice and making things better—this just adds more meaning to it.” 

His family shares that perspective. After learning more about the ongoing work connected to Penn’s law, Valentine’s mother encouraged him to continue exploring ways to get involved. 

“She told me, ‘This is a sign – you have to keep going,’” he says. 

Valentine will complement his final year of studies with an internship with CTRP3, fulfilling the requirements of SPP’s Internship and Professional Practice (IPP) program. The two-semester, 15-hour per week assignment will allow him to support all areas of the project including data reporting, community outreach, and advisory board and subcommittee meetings.

“Alvin Penn left an extraordinary mark on Connecticut, and many of us on the board were fortunate enough to know him and be inspired by his leadership,” says Barone. “To welcome the grandson of the man whose experience helped change Connecticut law is a meaningful reminder of why this work matters and why sustaining it for the next generation is so important.”

For Valentine, the journey is not about replicating his grandfather’s path but building on the values he left behind. 

“I want to strive for greatness,” he says. “If I can be part of something that makes things better for people, that’s what matters.” 

And in doing so, he is not only discovering the depth of a legacy but he is also beginning to define his own. 

“I love my grandpa, but I want to make my own mark as well.” 

CT Sentencing Commission Seeking Associate Director

August 27, 2026

CTSC Logo

The IMRP is seeking an Associate Director to lead the Connecticut Sentencing Commission (CTSC).

Working in close collaboration with the Commission Executive Director and the IMRP Director, this position is responsible for assisting in the effective day-to-day management of the Commission.

Key responsibilities include coordinating research projects and working groups, managing the allocation of staff and resources, soliciting grants, and administrative leadership, including supervision of full-time staff, graduate assistants, and student workers.

The Associate Director will play a critical role in fostering collaboration, ensuring program effectiveness, and advancing the Commission’s research, education, and policy initiatives.

View the full job description and list of minimum and preferred qualifications and apply HERE.

Students Bring Nature to Connecticut Prisons

August 20, 2026

A warm spring morning at York Correctional Institution brought together UConn landscape architecture students, correctional officers, incarcerated women, faculty members, and volunteers for an unusual kind of classroom experience. Armed with shovels and native plants, the group worked to transform portions of Connecticut’s only state prison for women, putting months of planning and design into practice.

“Landscape architecture is not just about creating attractive spaces. It’s about understanding how people experience their environments and designing places that support the way they live, work, and interact.”
— Sohyun Park, associate professor of landscape architecture

The project is part of a broader partnership between UConn’s Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy in the School of Public Policy, the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, and the Connecticut Department of Correction. Its roots can be traced in part to IMRP’s educational international immersion experiences through the Institute’s International Justice Exchange and collaboration with Amend out of UCSF. The collaboration creates opportunities for Connecticut delegations to visit correctional facilities in Norway and other European countries where the  approach to incarceration centers on rehabilitation, normalization, and the health and well-being of both incarcerated people and staff. Those travel experiences – including the most recent in May of 2026 – demonstrates how the physical environment, including access to plants, gardens, and thoughtfully designed spaces, can shape the way people experience life and work inside a correctional facility.

“They are still prisons, but when you see people in those facilities, the immediate feeling you have is not bleak or depressing. It’s hopeful.”
— Andrew Clark, director, UConn Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy

Back in Connecticut, those lessons have helped inform a broader effort to rethink correctional environments. For the landscape architecture students, the York project offered an opportunity rarely available in the classroom: following a design from site analysis and community input through implementation, while adapting to the practical realities of a secure correctional environment. Along the way, they gained a firsthand understanding of the people and spaces behind prison walls and saw how even small changes can contribute to a more welcoming and humane environment.

See more photos here:

  • exterior Norwegian prison

Read the full story from UConn Today to learn more about how the IMRP, UConn students and faculty, and the Connecticut Department of Correction are working together to rethink correctional spaces in Connecticut.

Donuts with Dads event at Osborn CI brings incarcerated fathers together with their children

June 24, 2026

Children raced across the visiting room at Osborn Correctional Institution shouting “Daddy!” as they reunited with their fathers during a June celebration organized by the Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) initiative. 

The Father’s Day event, called “Donuts with Dads,” brought together approximately 12 incarcerated fathers and nearly 20 children, ranging in age from toddlers to 13, for a morning of games, arts and crafts, and quality family time. 

Nationally, more than 5 million children have experienced the incarceration of a parent at some point in their lives, and roughly half of the incarcerated population nationwide are parents.  

“Much of our work tends to lean toward policy and resources,” said Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, CTCIP’s Program Manager. “In addition, we aim to run hands-on, meaningful, child-centered events for incarcerated individuals and their families. Programs inside the facilities are a great way to do that.” 

Earlier this year, CTCIP hosted a winter celebration at York Correctional Institution for incarcerated mothers and their children. Encouraged by the success of that event, the CTCIP team partnered with staff at Osborn, a medium-security facility for men in Somers, and the Department of Children and Families to create a similar opportunity for fathers and their children. 

“The success of the York event showed it was possible to host these types of programs in our correctional facilities,” said Kate Mazzotta, CTCIP Policy and Research Associate, who helped coordinate both events. “Incarcerated fathers are not always viewed as active parents while behind bars, so this type of fatherhood engagement is extremely important.” 

More than a month of planning preceded the day. Families enjoyed playtime activities, created Father’s Day cards together, and visited a photo booth where they captured keepsake photographs. 

For some participants, the event provided a rare opportunity to reconnect in person. 

“One attendee hadn’t seen his 5-year-old daughter in person since she was a baby,” noted Mazzotta. “Having the opportunity to take pictures together means he now not only has lasting memories from the day, but he has a picture he can look at of his growing daughter until he sees her again.” 

The event was more than a celebration. It also created opportunities for fathers to engage in everyday parenting moments. Mazzotta recalled one instance when a toddler fell and cut her lip during the event. 

“Her father was right there to pick her up and soothe her crying. He assured her all was okay and cleaned her lip and got her ice from DOC staff,” she said. “It was a typical parenting moment between a father and a child. The only difference is that it happened inside of a carceral facility.” 

For IMRP graduate research assistant Anya McGlaughlin, who recently joined the CTCIP team, the event offered a firsthand look at the impact of family-centered programming inside correctional facilities. 

“I had never been in a correctional facility before, so I didn’t know what to expect,” McGlaughlin admits. “I was just excited for the kids and the fathers to have the opportunity to spend (the day after) Father’s Day together. Seeing the fathers interact with their kids and the love in their eyes shows why it is so important to have events like this.”

A key objective of CTCIP is reducing the stigma experienced by children with incarcerated parents and supporting opportunities for healthy family connections. 

“For us, it’s important to give them a sense of normalcy, to bridge the gap between what’s allowed at a prison,” said Peck’s-Agaya. She said the Osborn staff and team were great hosts, fostering engagement, putting the kids at ease by shaking hands and serving pizza, and ensuring the day went smoothly. 

“This event shows that what children care most about is getting to see their parents and the importance of these in-person visits,” said Mazzotta. “These men may be behind bars, dressed in prison uniforms, but all their children see is their father.” 

“Visitation should be a right, not a privilege,” agreed McGlaughlin. “It’s not just for the kids, it’s for the parents too.”

the CTCIP team poses for a photo outside Osborn CI
The CTCIP team includes (from L), Elizabeth Canavan, Anya McLaughlin, Kate Mazzotta, Irvine Peck’s-Agaya. Not pictured: IMRP Director Andrew Clark.