Motherhood, Trauma and Justice: A Critical Look at Black Women's Reentry Pathways
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objectives: This article seeks to investigate the particular problems that Black mothers with justice involvement experience upon reentry and to offer a more effective framework for their assistance.
Hypothesis: Traditional reentry frameworks fail to address the complexity that emerges from the combination of race, gender, and trauma experienced by Black mothers.
Methods: The article conducts a critical intersectional analysis using Critical Race Theory (CRT), Black Feminist Theory (BFT), and Trauma-Informed Care (TIC). This study analyzes previous research and combines the findings from each framework.
Results: The research demonstrates three essential things: that systemic racism in the criminal justice system disproportionately imprisons Black women, contributing to unfavorable reentry experiences; that Black women show perseverance and opposition to carceral regimes, but their unique perspectives and agency are frequently left unattended; and that trauma is common among Black women and has an immense impact on their reentry experiences. The requirement for trauma-informed support programs is vital.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, a re-conceptualized reintegration support framework is presented, focusing on racial justice, gender equality, and the well-being of Black women and their families.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
References
Alexander, M. (2020). The new Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (15th Anniversary edition). The New Press.
Begna Gobena, E., Hean, S., Heaslip, V., & Studsrød, I. (2023) The challenge of western-influenced notions of knowledge and research training: lessons for decolonizing the research process and researcher education, Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2023.2197272 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2023.2197272
BlackPast, B. (2012). The Combahee River Collective Statement. BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/combahee-river-collective-statement-1977/. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.78642 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.78642
Bryant-Davis, T., Fasalojo, B., Arounian, A., Jackson, K. L. & Leithman, E. (2024) Resist and Rise: A Trauma-Informed Womanist Model for Group Therapy, Women & Therapy, 47(1)34–57, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2021.1943114 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2021.1943114
Budhai, S. S., & Lewis Grant, K. S. (2023). Stoking the Flames: A Community Cultural Wealth Analysis of Black Parents' Engagement in an Empowerment Organization. Education and Urban Society, 55(3), 371-392. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221076093 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221076093
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 140, 139–167. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4324/9780429500480-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429500480-5
Collins, P. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Gillborn, D. (2015). Intersectionality, critical race theory, and the primacy of racism: Race, class, gender, and disability in education. Qualitative inquiry, 21(3), 277–287. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414557827 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414557827
Greer, J. A. (2023). Introducing trauma-informed care principles in the workplace. Discovery Psychology, 3, 31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-023-00094-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-023-00094-2
Hong, S. (2018). Say her name, the black woman and incarceration. Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, 19(3), 619+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.simmons.edu/apps/doc/A547694188/ITOF?u=mlin_b_simmcol&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4308f7b2
Mitchell, M. B., & Davis, J. B. (2019). Formerly Incarcerated Black Mothers Matter Too: Resisting Social Constructions of Motherhood. The Prison Journal, 99(4), 420-436. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519852079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519852079
Ortiz, J. M., & Jackey, H. (2019). The System Is Not Broken, It Is Intentional: The Prisoner Reentry Industry as Deliberate Structural Violence. The Prison Journal, 99(4), 484-503. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519852090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0032885519852090
Owens, E. (2010). Exploring the experiences of minority ethnic women in resettlement: what role, if any, does ethnic culture play in the resettlement of Black (African-Caribbean) women offenders in the UK? New Thinking about Women & Criminal Justice The Griffin Society. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4324/9781843925477-19 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781843925477-19
Richie B. (2012). Arrested justice: Black women, violence, and America’s prison nation. NewYork: New York University Press. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-013-9210-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-013-9210-7
Richie, B. (2017). Incarcerated motherhood: Demystifying the lives of imprisoned women. Haymarket Books.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014, July). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (HHS Publica tion No. SMA 14-4884). https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf
Sulé, T. (2020). Critical race theory and social work. In The Oxford handbook of social work and social justice (pp. 1-13). Oxford University Press. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1329 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.1329
Wacquant, L. Prisoner reentry as myth and ceremony. Dialect Anthropol 34, 605–620 (2010). DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-010-9215-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-010-9215-5