Formerly Incarcerated Black Mothers Matter Too: Resisting Social Constructions of Motherhood

Mitchell, Michael B.; Davis, Jaya

doi:10.1177/0032885519852079

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(52 reference statements)

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“…Centering the focus on mothers' primary motivations and experiences, rather than father involvement outcomes, contextualizes mediation processes and yields new understandings regarding what it means to be a "good mother." For example, our findings are parallel to motherwork research studies (Gurusami, 2019;Mitchell & Davis, 2019) that examine the lived experience of previously incarcerated mothers. Motherwork in these studies is characterized by "hypervigilance," which is centered on children's safety and combating stigma.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Maternal Mediation in the Context of Fathers' Incarceration and Reentry

et al. 2020

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ObjectiveWe sought to develop grounded theory regarding how mothers who share children with an incarcerated father mediate between men and their offspring.BackgroundMothers' mediation can be situated at the intersection of their motherwork and their prison work. Motherwork (Collins, 1994) refers to the paid and unpaid labor that mothers on the margins do to support their families and foster their children's survival. Prison work (Codd, 2007) involves the invisible labor of supporting persons during their incarceration and reentry. A focus on maternal mediation as a proximal process that bears on justice‐involved families acknowledges the inherent tension between these domains.MethodWe conducted a secondary analysis of interview data from 16 Australian mothers who had at least one child whose father had a history of incarceration.ResultsWe identified four patterns of maternal mediation: facilitation, monitoring, constraint, and disengagement. These types connected to aspects of women's motherwork, as well as the intensity of their efforts to support children's fathers.ConclusionMediation is a form of women's prison‐motherwork, which reflects complex and shifting strategies that are influenced by children's developmental needs and preferences, mothers' feelings about children's fathers and their importance in children's lives, and time.ImplicationsWomen would benefit from having specialized support and counseling throughout their partner's (or former partner's) carceral confinement and reentry.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Maternal Mediation in the Context of Fathers' Incarceration and Reentry

et al. 2020

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“…As shown in this study, their experiences are viciously raced and gendered—and often ultimately attached to deep family roots that go back to tradition. Also, missing within much of the literature is the extent to which formerly incarcerated Black women’s lived realities are inevitably passed down to their children (e.g., Mitchell & Davis, 2019). As historical materialism explains, ideological trickery within social institutions, designed to both help and destroy, is to blame for Black women’s continual suffering and displacement in US society.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Raising children while being a formerly incarcerated Black woman can be extremely challenging given the reality that Black women often do not receive childcare assistance from their partners or their children's fathers (Doge & Pogrebin, 2001). In addition, research has found that Black women, especially ones from "ghettoized communities," have to navigate their returns to society worrying about their children's wellbeing, housing, and education while dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues (Mitchell & Davis, 2019). Thus, their return to society is nuanced and unique.…”

Section: Incarcerated Black Women and Mothersmentioning

confidence: 99%

I am Not Your Felon: Decoding the Trauma, Resilience, and Recovering Mothering of Formerly Incarcerated Black Women

Williams

Spencer

Wilson

2020

Crime & Delinquency

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Black women are increasingly targets of mass incarceration and reentry. Black feminist writers call attention to scholars’ need to intersectionalize analyses around how Black women interface with state systems and social institutions. This study foregrounds narratives from Black women to understand their plight while navigating reentry through a phenomenological approach. Through semi-structured interviews, narratives are analyzed using critical frameworks that authentically unearths the lived realities of participants. Themes reveal that for Black mothers, reentry can be just as criminalizing as engaging crime itself. These women face dire consequences around their mothering that induce them into tremendous bouts of trauma. Existing interlocking oppressions enflame newfound barriers due to their contact with the criminal legal system—yet they survive via divergent forms of resilience.

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“…Through a critical race feminist lens, scholarly research has made important contributions in areas focused on incarcerated mothers, mothers of incarcerated children, and adolescent girls of incarcerated parents (Garcia-Hallett, 2019;Hayes-Bautista, 2013;Lopez & Corona, 2012;Mitchell & Davis, 2019). Yet, little attention has been given to how parental incarceration specifically intersects with race, ethnicity, and gender for young women.…”

Section: The Process Of Parental Incarcerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, research depicting the challenges of mass incarceration in the lives of young Black and Latinx women has even more rarity. In fact, scholars assert that the narratives of Black and Latinx women are lacking in criminology research and dismisses the intersectional framework of race, gender, and incarceration (Christian & Thomas, 2009;Mitchell & Davis, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Literally Roll With The Punches”: Black and Latinx Women Coping Through Parental Incarceration

Noel¹,

Green²

2021

Preprint

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Racial and ethnic disparities have been shown to disproportionately impact Black and Latinx children within the criminal legal system. Parental incarceration is associated with emotional and psychological stresses for children, but these effects can extend beyond incarceration. Research suggests that parental incarceration is not a discrete event and problems during childhood can exacerbate throughout the life course. Yet, little is known on how challenges faced by parental incarceration transcend to adulthood. Further, an examination on the long-term effects of parental incarceration through the lens of race, ethnicity, and gender remains understudied. In order to address this gap, this study focused on the lived experiences of Black and Latinx young women. We utilized 11 semi-structured interviews to explicate how Black and Latinx young women compartmentalize the experience of parental incarceration and use coping strategies. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis, we found that these young women interpret parental incarceration as an ongoing process and rely on four coping strategies. Thus, our findings highlight that despite the challenges of parental incarceration, young Black and Latinx women remain resilient by accepting the reality of their circumstances, keeping themselves occupied with tasks and activities, seeking their own social support systems and mental health care, and reconstructing their own prosocial identity.

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Formerly Incarcerated Black Mothers Matter Too: Resisting Social Constructions of Motherhood

Cited by 24 publications

References 45 publications

Maternal Mediation in the Context of Fathers' Incarceration and Reentry

Maternal Mediation in the Context of Fathers' Incarceration and Reentry

I am Not Your Felon: Decoding the Trauma, Resilience, and Recovering Mothering of Formerly Incarcerated Black Women

“I Literally Roll With The Punches”: Black and Latinx Women Coping Through Parental Incarceration

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