Melissa Noel, Temple University
| When |
Sep 08, 2025
from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | 2208 LeFrak / Online |
| Contact Name | Jennifer Doiron |
| Contact Phone | 301-405-6403 |
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About the Presentation
The removal of a parent through incarceration is associated with ambiguous loss for children. These children must navigate the physical absence of their parents with no sense of closure or certainty of their return. In addition, children are left with the stigma attached to their parent’s criminality. Utilizing a qualitative approach, I examined how adult children of incarcerated parents navigate ambiguous loss and stigma. My findings indicate that stigma is associated with having an incarcerated parent and can extend into adulthood. However, my presentation will highlight that the emerging adulthood stage sparked new strategies and management techniques to alleviate the effects of ambiguous loss and stigma.
About the Speaker
Melissa E. Noel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University. She received her B.S. in Criminal Justice with a minor in African American Studies from Buffalo State University. She completed her M.A. and Ph.D. from the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany. She is a criminologist specializing in the intersections of race, gender, transitions to adulthood, and parental incarceration. Through qualitative research, her current work explores the impact of parental incarceration on emerging adults. Her work emphasizes strength-based approaches within justice-involved families. As a first-generation Black American, her personal experiences fuel her commitment to addressing racial and health disparities in communities of color. She leverages her educational platform to amplify the voices of marginalized individuals.
Seminar Format
Location IN PERSON: 2208 LeFrak Hall. We are requesting advanced registration so that we can track capacity. Please use this link to RSVP for in-person attendance.
Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Zoom Registration Link. Upon registration, you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar.
If accommodations are needed, please send request to meeting organizer (mprc-support@umd.edu) at least 72 hours prior to the event, if possible, to allow time to discuss and implement alternatives.
MPRC public events for Fall 2025 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom. For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols.