BA SG: Mothering in carceral spaces: Stories of seeking asylum and the criminal justice system

Project Description

This feminist narrative research will look at mothering in carceral spaces to extend knowledge of both ‘carceral
spaces’ and ‘motherhood’, allowing us to hear and tell women’s stories of carceral experiences. Building on
research in relation to prison and immigration detention, the research will make visible the experiences of
mothers in the asylum and criminal justice systems whose mothering practices are surveyed and restricted,
securitised and managed. Beyond the limitations to physical space alone, we will consider factors which
facilitate or impede mothering and examine which aspects (if any) of mothering practices are prioritised or
change during life in carceral spaces. We will research with mothers to examine how they experience different
immigration and criminal justice policies and use the findings to influence post-prison and asylum resettlement,
and UK asylum and criminal justice policies and practices, uniquely from the perspective of mothers.