The Prison Journal 2016, Vol. 96(2) 304–328 © 2015 SAGE Publications Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0032885515618469 tpj.sagepub.com Article Building Infrastructure and Capacity for Correctional Health Research in a College of Criminal Justice: Lessons and Promises Hung-En Sung 1 , Jeff Mellow 1 , Roger D. Vaughan 2 , and Ernest Drucker 3 Abstract This analysis describes the planning and implementation of a development project to build infrastructure and capacity for correctional and community health research in a college of criminal justice. Partnering with a research- intensive university, the 3-year project recruited 112 faculty and student trainees for mentored research, extramural and intramural training, subsidized conference travels, and new course offerings. A network of 34 “nuclear” investigators emerged as a cohesive infrastructure from the experience, producing 21 refereed publications, 18 conference presentations, and nine grant applications in correctional and community health. A sustainability plan has been executed to consolidate the gains achieved. Lessons are discussed. Keywords correctional health, infrastructure and capacity, institutional development, institutional mentoring 1 John Jay College Department of Criminal Justice, New York, NY, USA 2 Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA 3 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA Corresponding Author: Hung-En Sung, Department of Criminal Justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA. Email: hsung@jjay.cuny.edu 618469TPJ XX X 10.1177/0032885515618469The Prison JournalSung et al. research-article 2015 at JOHN JAY COLLEGE on February 4, 2016 tpj.sagepub.com Downloaded from