Secondary Prisonization Among Latina Women: Coping Mechanisms and Unmet Needs

• In Event: Collateral Consequences, Mental Health, and Emotional Wellbeing

Abstract

Though prior studies find that women with an incarcerated loved one often report difficulties with financial support or lack of access to services, there is a lack of research focusing on the unique experiences of women of color, specifically Latinas, and the existing body of research fails to incorporate a critical lens. Based on gaps in the existing literature, the current study seeks to answer the following research questions:

1. How do Latina women experience and understand secondary prisonization when they have an incarcerated loved one?
2. How do women cope with having an incarcerated loved one? How do they access these coping mechanisms?
3. How do non-profit organizations bridge the gap between the incarcerated individual and their non-incarcerated loved ones? How do these organizations meet their needs and what needs remain unmet?

By utilizing an ethnographic approach, which involves direct observations at the chosen field site and in-depth semi-structured interviews, this study contributes to the limited body of research highlighting the unique experiences of women of color who have an incarcerated loved one.

Author

• Cristal Hernandez, Sam Houston State University