Creasie Finney Hairston has made a notable contribution to study of communication policies for prisoners. Hairston (1988) and Hairston (1990) are leading scholarly publications on prisoners’ communication with family and friends. Hairston wrote these articles as Professor and Associate Dean, School of Social Work, Indiana University. Since 1991, she has been Professor and Dean, Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago. Among the articles citing Hairston (1988) and Hairston (1990) are

• Davis (2000) {National Conference of State Legislators} p. 1 n. 8, citing Brenner (1998) p. 2, citing Hairston (1988) {incorrectly cited as Hairston, 1990)} and Family and Corrections Network Report, Issue No. 1, 1994, p. 2., which is based on Holt and Miller (1972) {personal communication with Family Correction Network staff}
• Travis, Cincotta, and Solomon (2003) {Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center} p. 6 n. 26, citing Hairston (1988) {incorrectly cited as Hairston 1998}
• Bobbitt and Nelson (2004) {Vera Institute of Justice} p. 3 n. 8, citing Hairston (1988)

Within a long and continuing history of sexist treatment of imprisoned fathers, Hairston is one of the few scholars to have shown considerable sensitivity to the position of fathers in the criminal justice system and criminal justice scholarship. As Lanier (2003) astutely notes, lack of concern for the position of imprisoned fathers has deep roots.