previous research
There has been an “eclipse” in prison ethnography since incarceration rates began to rise in the late 1970s (Wacquant, 2002). Because of this, more research on people’s social relations during and post incarceration is needed to understand the psychological and broader social impacts of dehumanizing prison conditions.
As social beings, human identity cannot be understood as distinct from the social world. Psychological and sociological theories on the development of identity stress how societal moral authority is continuously balanced against personal desire in governing a person’s actions and how they view themselves. A person’s identity is constantly being reshaped throughout their lives, as their interactions with their external environment define how they perceive themselves and find meaning in their lives (Freud, Mead, Durkheim, etc.). For this reason, it is critical to examine the dynamics of people’s social environments when trying to understand human development behind bars.
In the era of mass incarceration where millions of people are being imprisoned each year (Prison Policy Initiative, 2015), it is crucial to understand how the prison environment can reshape how people view themselves and how they relate to others. We have begun to investigate the social impact that incarceration has on pre-existing relationships, relationships developed in prison, and post-incarceration relationships. Of particular interest is a person’s capacity to develop and sustain healthy coping skills and relationships within prison and to navigate various social obligations post-incarceration.
Below are some ways TCA has engaged and continues to engage with this endeavor. We partner with the Center For Justice and Columbia Law School to conduct research that focuses on coping skills of those impacted by the criminal legal system. Our findings both inform our own art and activism projects and serve as a resource for others with similar goals.
Language and Dehumanization
In the summer of 2019, TCA organized and ran the Center for Justice’s Inaugural Justice Conference: The Power of Language to Incarcerate. This event brought together artists, lawyers, social workers, religious leaders, researchers and other professionals to discuss how the labels we use in our day to day life can serve to dehumanize and damage. This conference included TCA original research on how incarcerated people are portrayed and described in popular crime shows, as well TCA original research on how popular labels influence how people dehumanize certain populations, including incarcerated people, homeless people, police officers and more.
The Trauma of Incarceration
In the summer of 2020, TCA hosted a town hall series on Post Traumatic Prison Disorder in partnership with Silent Cry. TCA’s Research Team consolidated relevant public health, neuroscience and psychology research into a presentation to provide a scientific framing to each town hall.
In spring 2020, TCA conducted an in-depth interview study called the Social Dynamics of Prison (SDP) Study, with people who served time in New York State for a felony offense. TCA is working through hours of interview data to produce reports on the psychological impact of incarceration at various stages in the criminal justice system, the social structure of prison life and other topics.
As social beings, human identity cannot be understood as distinct from the social world. Psychological and sociological theories on the development of identity stress how societal moral authority is continuously balanced against personal desire in governing a person’s actions and how they view themselves. A person’s identity is constantly being reshaped throughout their lives, as their interactions with their external environment define how they perceive themselves and find meaning in their lives (Freud, Mead, Durkheim, etc.). For this reason, it is critical to examine the dynamics of people’s social environments when trying to understand human development behind bars.
In the era of mass incarceration where millions of people are being imprisoned each year (Prison Policy Initiative, 2015), it is crucial to understand how the prison environment can reshape how people view themselves and how they relate to others. We have begun to investigate the social impact that incarceration has on pre-existing relationships, relationships developed in prison, and post-incarceration relationships. Of particular interest is a person’s capacity to develop and sustain healthy coping skills and relationships within prison and to navigate various social obligations post-incarceration.
Below are some ways TCA has engaged and continues to engage with this endeavor. We partner with the Center For Justice and Columbia Law School to conduct research that focuses on coping skills of those impacted by the criminal legal system. Our findings both inform our own art and activism projects and serve as a resource for others with similar goals.
Language and Dehumanization
In the summer of 2019, TCA organized and ran the Center for Justice’s Inaugural Justice Conference: The Power of Language to Incarcerate. This event brought together artists, lawyers, social workers, religious leaders, researchers and other professionals to discuss how the labels we use in our day to day life can serve to dehumanize and damage. This conference included TCA original research on how incarcerated people are portrayed and described in popular crime shows, as well TCA original research on how popular labels influence how people dehumanize certain populations, including incarcerated people, homeless people, police officers and more.
The Trauma of Incarceration
In the summer of 2020, TCA hosted a town hall series on Post Traumatic Prison Disorder in partnership with Silent Cry. TCA’s Research Team consolidated relevant public health, neuroscience and psychology research into a presentation to provide a scientific framing to each town hall.
In spring 2020, TCA conducted an in-depth interview study called the Social Dynamics of Prison (SDP) Study, with people who served time in New York State for a felony offense. TCA is working through hours of interview data to produce reports on the psychological impact of incarceration at various stages in the criminal justice system, the social structure of prison life and other topics.