Research Project

For my research, I would like to interrogate the identity of "Criminal"

Questions

- How is the issue of transgender medical care handled in the prison system?

- How must transgender medical care be framed so that it is deemed acceptable and worthy of time and money in the eyes of both the prison system and the public?

- How does the issue of mental health care in prisons enter into this conversation, and how does this impact the efforts of both mental health and transgender activists?

Background

In the last two weeks, I have been unprecedentedly exposed to numerous perspectives on social injustices and the mass incarceration in the United States. Among them I am finding myself especially interested in the topics of racial profiling, the accountability of education system, and stereotype threats as the consequence that further harm disenfranchised people's well-being. 

Resources:

Banks, R. Richard, Jennifer L. Eberhardt and Lee Ross. "Discrimination and Implicit Bias in a Racially Unequal Society." California Law Review Vol. 94, No. 4 (Jul., 2006), pp. 1169-1190. Web

Research Question:

What factors (social, physical and ethical/philisophical) impact the breakdown of medical care in prison systems?

On Thursday, two of the women from the prison were engaged in a lively debate about structure, mental health, agency, and personal responsibility.

“What do you do when the police won’t come to your aid?”

“Then they send you to prison for protecting yourself and your family.”

“There needs to be therapy. Those who are abused are more likely to abuse others.”

“But past abuse doesn’t give someone the right to hurt someone else.”

“You need to find a balance.”

Tong Tong

360s Program: Arts of Resistance

Research Proposal

09/15/2015

Starting Questions:

...here are few more leads from Sheila, who reports that she thoroughly
enjoyed your responses to her questions and looks forward to working with us all.

Sheila mentioned googling some of the topics that were coming up for all of you in response to her questions. This is a great way to start your research, but I also wanted to suggest "hitting the stacks," that is, giving yourself a little time to go to the library and look at books on the shelves. We're fortunate enough to have what are called "open stacks," which means that you can wander among the books. (Contrast this to the New York Public Library, where you take the title of a specific book to a desk and they fetch the book for you.) This wandering can lead to fascinating discoveries as you see the title you meant to find rubbing against titles that you didn't expect -- but which are interesting and might open you to an entirely new way of thinking.

[hoping to Skype, but mostly on speaker phone...]

Really looking forward to getting to know you this semester. Last night I read your responses to the questions I posed and was delighted at how knowledgeable and engaged you are with the subject of incarceration. The diversity of students in this class will greatly enrich the dialogue. I have written some brief responses to all of you.

Before I begin, I would really like to know you a little better before we begin. Could you go around the room and say your name, your major, your year and why you chose to take this course. And, are there other questions which you would like to see added to my list of questions?

Dear 360 folks,

First, thanks for such thoughtful work in our classes yesterday afternoon!

Thurs. group, we look forward to hearing about your first session at Riverside.  Fri. group, we’ll see you soon for our first session!

We’re writing with some updates about our initial conversation yesterday with Sheila, your Sunday night post, and your research proposal, which is due this Wednesday.

As Sheila suggested please start keeping a word file about your responses to our sessions at the jail, discussions in class and with Sheila, dreams, ideas, concerns, etc.  Let yourself be intuitive, free associate ideas, write down words and play with words. Make this your “incubator page,” an uncentered space for ideas and feelings.