UC Davis

This project examines the effect of family separation on people who have loved ones incarcerated in California state prisons. Using survey data collected by Initiate Justice, a Los Angeles-based community organization that seeks to end mass incarceration by harnessing the power of those “inside,” my research examines barriers to accessing those loved ones and asks, “What is the effect of family separation on loved ones left behind?” I frame my research with an abolitionist lens and incorporate the theory of racial capitalism in my study. My research views incarcerated people as important family and community members and finds that their absence from these spaces impacts their families and communities negatively. Combining qualitative and quantitative survey analysis with a review of the literature, I offer a vision of a system that does not need police and prisons, and prioritizes health and healing as community priorities, instead.