Please Help! Non-criminologist looking for some research advice

[JC932]

Hi, everyone. I am a PhD student in Theatre and Performance history embarking on my dissertation.

Right now, I'm doing preliminary research around plays that depict prisons, or the idea of carcerality more generally. 

I would like to find research about US public perceptions of punishment, especially imprisonment as punishment, over the previous several (5-6) decades. Particularly, how and why public attitudes toward criminal punishment have changed over time. 

I'm wondering if anyone has some advice about which subfield of criminology I should focus on (Public and Narrative Criminology both sound like they may be useful, but I'm not sure). I've already done some research within Visual Criminology and have found some really fruitful theoretical concepts. 

I'm hoping for some good advice, someone to point me in a direction, or even a word of encouragement :). The field of criminology, from my brand new perspective, is MASSIVE and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and don't know which path to take.

Thank you all so much!