Colonialism and Carceral Motherhood

Abstract

This article uses data from Hawai`i as a case study to illustrate overlapping, racialized, and gendered regimes of state power in the contemporary post-welfare, neo-liberal political environment. Native Hawaiian families, as a legacy of colonialism, are especially at risk as targets of this control due to strategies of regulation and control coincident with the rise of neo-liberal politics. In this policy environment, penal and welfare practices attempt to shift the responsibility for structural disadvantage onto individuals in marginalized populations, while extending the state's power to police families among a broader network of kin. This article contributes to the literature on gendered state regulation and neo-liberal governance by illustrating patterns of criminalization and expanding child welfare control in this marginalized population.

“Your Hands are Tied, Literally:” Mothers Navigating Relationships With Their Children While System-Involved

“…In the current study, Chloe described navigating three systems as a Native American woman: the criminal legal system, child and family services, and the tribal court. Similar stressors related to multi-systemic regulations were reported in Brown and Bloom’s (2009) study with Native American families in Hawai’i. Future research should continue to examine Indigenous women’s experiences within the criminal legal system and tribal courts.…”

“…Mothers' experiences and relationships with their children are critical to consider as (1) they are often the primary caregivers to children (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008), (2) maternal incarceration has adverse mental health and social impacts on mothers and their children (Aiello & McCorkel, 2018;Burgess-Proctor et al, 2016;Dallaire et al, 2015), and (3) maintaining relationships and caretaking of their children is a major motivator for women's desistance (Bachman et al, 2015;Garcia-Hallett, 2019;Kennedy et al, 2020). Although thematic analysis does not aim to "fill a gap" in the literature (Braun & Clarke, 2022), the current study builds upon prior research by using interviews and focus groups with a diverse sample of women under community supervision in a Pacific Northwestern state to describe how system-involvement and substance use impacted their children.…”

“…Finally, the findings here demonstrate the lived experiences of mothers with intersecting identities and multiplicative marginalization. Black, Indigenous, Latina, and Multiracial women face cultural, racial, and ethnic realities related to motherhood that are distinct from that of white women (e.g., Brown & Bloom, 2009;Garcia-Hallett, 2022;Gurusami, 2019). Such realities include hypersurveillance and subsequent risk for loss of custody and parental rights.…”

“…4. In reflexive thematic analysis, interrater reliability is inappropriate as each researcher's coding and analysis seen as a subjective strength (Braun & Clarke, 2022). Is it acceptable for one researcher to conduct the analysis.…”