Working for justice: Families and prison reform

Carol Frances Agnew Black, Purdue University

Abstract

My project is a qualitative, grounded theory study of the lived experience of 46 members of six different prison reform groups organized in five different states across the United States. Their stories are presented within a feminist and intersectional framework that posits race, class and gender as intersecting categories that simultaneously structure, and are structured by, societal institutions, organizations and individuals. Most have a family member or a close friend currently incarcerated. Most of them are women; however, there are also male participants. Five of the groups included in my study are based in California, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The sixth group is organized around issues related to Federal prisoners, who can be housed in any state. Much of the research and interviewing was conducted online. Some interviews were done by telephone or in-person. The people in my study represent a unique contribution to the available literature on prisoners' families. Most literature on families of prisoners presents them as financially and emotionally needy, and as struggling to survive. The people in my study are actively involved in organized legislative and educational efforts to reform our prison industrial complex into a more humane and rehabilitative system.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Spencer, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Criminology|Individual & family studies

COinS