Chicana Decarceral Motherwork: How System-Involved Chicana Mothers Resist Criminalization in Their Encounters with the Police

• In Event: Latina/o/x Criminology Panel #1

Abstract

Introduction: While a small but growing body of research has documented the over-policing and
criminalization of Latinas, very little research has investigated Latinas’ encounters with the
police. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by investigating the carceral
encounters of system-involved Chicana mothers and the maternal strategies they deploy to
protect their children and themselves from state-sponsored violence. Data/Methods: Data for this
study consist of life-history interviews with 30 formerly incarcerated and system-impacted
Mexican American mothers. Results: Findings reveal that system-involved Chicana mothers
developed distinctive strategies in times of crisis aimed at mitigating their children’s exposure to the carceral state while also minimizing emotional and physical harm to the family unit. This study extends Gurusami’s (2019) framework of “decarceral motherwork,” by introducing two additional dimensions of decarceral maternal labor—compliance and fighting back—which mothers of color employ to safeguard their children amid state restriction and heightened surveillance. Conclusion: I argue that the maternal labor undertaken by system-involved Chicana mothers during crises not only subverts pervasive stereotypes of Latina mothers as neglectful or inadequate but is also in alignment with socially accepted notions of “good” mothering.

Author

• Veronica Lerma, University of California, Davis