Carceral Care: Prison work through the lens of Black correctional officers

Keywords: Mass incarceration, prison, care work, intersectionality
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 17

Abstract

While geographers have contributed to the advancement of mass incarceration scholarship, the micro-politics and intricate dynamics of prison spaces themselves have thus far received less attention. In this paper, I address this gap in the literature through life history interviews with Black Correctional Officers (COs). With 20+ years of work experience, these officers have much to share about the macro- and meso-scale processes currently at the heart of carceral geographic inquiry. Deriving from notions of community policing and fictive kinship, I develop the concept of carceral kinship, which refers to the formation of familial-like bonds that appear the strongest between Black female COs and Black incarcerated men. This concept matters because it reveals how carceral geographies rely on intimate, empathetic, and emotional care work; work that is gendered and raced. My research suggests that more dialogue is needed between carceral and labor geographies, and critical race and intersectionality theories.