Alyssa White
(Photo: Karsten Moran)
By Kenna Caprio
Some cases just stick with Alyssa White — particularly the “Kiss and Kill Murder” of Betty Williams in Texas in 1961, and the disappearance of Kimberly Bearclaw Iron from the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana in 2020.
She had a chance to dive deeper into those two cases and others as an intern on “Women and Crime,” a podcast hosted by Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg, both professors of criminology at FDU.
“Women are greatly affected by crime — especially domestic violence and sexual assault. It’s important to talk about their experiences within the criminal justice system, how women are treated and how societal perceptions have changed over time. It’s important to give victims a voice,” says White. These kinds of stories are also what initially drew White, BA’25 (Flor), to major in criminology.
“It’s up to ‘Women and Crime’ and other podcasts to give people a voice and be respectful, to talk about what happened to these victims — and their lives and legacies — so they’re never forgotten. It’s important to pay homage to victims.”
In addition to suggesting cases, making notes and contributing to episode scripts, she also built a catalog to track podcast episodes and cases.
“As a research assistant, I learned how to source information and transcribe notes. It was so valuable learning about the world, the country and the criminal justice system as I researched cases. I’m very thankful they gave me the opportunity.”
After her podcast internship ended, White interned at Deirdre’s House, a child advocacy center in Morristown, N.J., working with victims of child abuse. The nonprofit offers a safe and reassuring environment for children to begin healing as they are interviewed by law enforcement and examined by doctors.
“We have clinicians on staff to provide free, trauma-focused therapy for child victims, family members affected by the abuse, as well as any adult survivors of child abuse.”
She recently started a full-time position there as a child advocate. “I’m the point person who sets the family up with any resources they might need, helps organize day-to-day scheduling at the center and greets the children when they come in. I love working in victim advocacy. It’s so important because the impact of a crime continues long after it happens. It’s rewarding to work with people as they rebuild their lives.”
White says her work on “Women and Crime” really influenced her to consider how much care victims and families need and deserve, and led to her securing the position with Deirdre’s House.
“Criminologists need to hold themselves to a high standard to make sure people get the correct information and that we are doing victims justice. Seeing the hard work and professionalism that Professor Sacks and Professor Shlosberg put into their podcasts inspires me.”