NACDI Social Media Coordinator Katie-Marie McNeill has been awarded the prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement to support her PhD research abroad. McNeill, a doctoral candidate in the History Department at Queen’s University, is conducting research examining the history of prisoner aid societies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. With the support of this award, McNeill is now at work, accessing archives in Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, and Canberra.

McNeill’s work draws on a range of personal and institutional records that illustrate the methods used by prisoner aid societies to support prisoners and their families. Her examination will help identify the links between state policies, individuals, and institutions.

Auckland Public Library and Auckland Council Archives

View of Auckland from atop Mt. Eden