Reconceptualizing and Challenging Prevailing Perceptions of Families Affected by Imprisonment in the "Post-Truth" Era

• In Event: 47.036 - Racial Logic(s) Under Surveillance in Educational Space

Abstract

This study was undertaken in a family support service in the West Coast of Ireland which seeks to support families living with the impact of imprisonment. Families and children affected by imprisonment can experience significant stigma and isolation. Drawing on “ethno-case study” research informed by narrative inquiry principles this paper challenges prevailing perceptions, evident within public discourse in the “post-truth” era, of families affected by imprisonment as “drug tycoons” leading extravagant lifestyles financed by crime. It “makes visible” their loss and pain, and exposes the complex impact of imprisonment at societal, family and personal level that often remain hidden. This paper presents a model of family support and its transformative impact on the lives of children and families.

Authors

• Ruth Bourke, Mary Immaculate College

• Ann Mary Higgins, Mary Immaculate College