Ella Siegrist

Ella Siegrist’s work centers around the American carceral system, with a focus on its intersections with medicine, law, and politics. Her dissertation project uses historical methods to investigate imprisonment in late-19th century Appalachia. The project examines why Appalachian states diverged in their patterns of imprisonment, looking at the influences of industrialization, organized labor, and increased policing across the region.

Ella received a BA from Warren Wilson College in Sociology and Anthropology in 2019 and an MA in Sociology from the University of New Mexico in 2021. In addition to pursuing her PhD in the Sociology department, she is also a Harvey Fellow in American Cultural Studies. She is now based in North Carolina, where she teaches through local prison education programs.