Alum works with people emerging from incarceration, ‘planting seeds’ to help even those who at first refuse it

When Madeline Briguglio told friends and family she planned a career helping people prepare for successful lives after leaving incarceration, the reactions weren’t always positive. 

“You can’t change the world,” some said. Well, maybe not the world, she replied -- but she could try to change the part she can reach.

“People tell you that you can’t help everyone, and you can’t help those who don’t want to be helped,” Briguglio said. “There is some truth to that. But there are ways that you can plant seeds to help people get to the point where they want to be helped, and to show them they are worthy of it.”

Her work helping people emerge from incarceration to successfully reenter their communities earned her the 2025 Arizona State University School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Alumni Award for Early Career Excellence.

Briguglio, who grew up in Fountain Hills, Arizona, has been working for the Inside Out Network, or ION, since 2020, assisting people experiencing incarceration prepare for successful reentry into society through education and other assistance.

She earned a Master of Arts degree in criminal justice from ASU in 2021. Her graduate internship was with ION. At that time, she said, the program was in its infancy with no full-time staff and no paid positions available.

“But I loved the work, helping people transition out,” she said. “You could say I developed an affinity for it.”

Briguglio and her initial experiences with ION was profiled by ASU News in this February 2021 story.

Three years later, she became the organization’s director of operations, in charge of overseeing the program in four states, including Arizona.

Briguglio is also an ASU faculty associate, teaching a crime control policy course to a classroom of 65 students at the school.

Briguglio said word has gotten around in the correctional facility she visits that she is the “resources whisperer.”

“Or ‘R.W.’ for short,” she said.

Briguglio will receive the Alumni Award at a May 2 ceremony. Read on to learn more about her ASU and professional journeys:

Question: You’ve been with the Inside-Out Network (ION) since you were a master’s degree student five years ago. Tell us what you do there today.

Answer: In addition to my administrative duties, I also hire, train and supervise new college interns each semester, recruit service providers to join our network, help with returning citizen registration and support and develop and maintain strong relationships with the department of corrections and community corrections in each state we work in (Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi and Oregon). In Arizona, I visit prisons, parole offices, and reentry centers to help with the training of staff and inmate-filled leadership positions.

Q: In what aspect of your job do you find that your education at ASU has made the most impact? Why?

A: I can genuinely say that I use my education every single day in my work. However, what has helped the most is having an in-depth understanding of criminology. I’m able to think about the possible factors that have contributed to someone living a life of crime and therefore being able to better understand how to help someone give it up. My education has helped me understand that criminal behavior is often a result of underlying issues and if we truly want to make a difference, we must get down to the root cause of the behavior. 

Q: Which professor(s) taught you the most important lesson(s) while you were at ASU? Are you still in touch with him/her/them?

A: Many different professors had a profound impact on my journey. However, the two that stand out are Associate Professor Rick Trinkner and Faculty Associate Eric Johnson. Professor Trinkner was my advanced criminological theory professor, which ended up being arguably my favorite course in undergraduate because I truly discovered my love for criminology in his course; this greatly contributed to my desire to get my master’s. As for Professor Johnson, he played a significant role in my educational and professional development. Not only was he one of my undergraduate professors, but he was also my capstone professor in graduate school, and he introduced me to the Inside Out Network internship opportunity. They both have continued to mentor me post-graduation.

Q: If you had higher education to experience all over again, what would you do differently? The same?

A: Overall, I loved my experience at ASU for both degree programs and there is not much I would change. However, if I could do it over, I would probably get a bit more involved in research. I always made sure to get experience with practical work -- shadowing, interning, volunteering, etc., but never worked extensively on any research and I think it could have been beneficial to do more.

Q: Tell about a person who emerged from incarceration with whom you worked at ION that’s particularly meaningful.

A: George Nolan was one of our first users of the ION network, back in 2021. He recently celebrated one year of freedom after his release on April 9, 2024. Today, he owns a home, has his own business in peer-support and is the director of marketing and outreach at New Freedom, one of the biggest reentry partners in the state.

Last year, two days after his release, George spoke to my ASU students, sharing his experiences with my students: 17 years of incarceration, addiction, recovery, leadership, finding his purpose and more. It was an honor to have him there.

Not only did my students get the opportunity to learn from him, but they even live-streamed him guest speaking into the prison he had just left, so they could witness it too. I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things he does on this side of the fence.

Every Friday, George goes back to visit the prison where he was incarcerated. His message is, if I can be helped, so can you.

Q: Have you thought about a next possible step in your career?

A: I am so blessed to be doing work I absolutely love and to have found my purpose. I plan to continue working for ION, hoping to help us grow to being a nationwide reentry tool. I also plan to continue teaching at ASU, as so much positive change can happen through education. I plan to continue to advocate for those who have been or are currently involved in the criminal justice system, to educate future criminal justice professionals and bring awareness to reentry, and to remain dedicated to contributing to positive changes in the justice system.