Kirjahaku

"A call to action ... A reminder of the beautiful resilience of formerly incarcerated women and a celebration of all that they have to offer." --Susan Burton, author of Becoming Ms. Burton and founder of A New Way of Life Urgent and empathetic, Entry Lessons is one of the first examinations of the lasting impact of incarceration on women and their families Recent reports show that women make up the fastest-growing population within the United States' criminal justice system. And yet, despite necessary conversations about incarceration and prison abolition, their stories of abuse, neglect, poverty, and family separation often go untold. Now, through immersive storytelling and expert analysis of women's lives after prison, anthropologist Jorja Leap explores their journeys into, through, and beyond the jail cell. In these pages, you'll meet women like: -Ivy and Janet, accused of murder, whose intertwined stories of childhood harm, domestic abuse, and gang violence unfold throughout the book-Denise, who confronts the lasting impact of her childhood sexual trauma as she struggles with relationships and the realities of homelessness-Rosa, a survivor of sex trafficking whose relationship with her mother--her trafficker--is fraught with conflicting feelings she works to resolve-Carmen, whose search for love ultimately endangers not just her life but also the lives of her children-Clara, who survived placement in the child welfare system only to experience having her own children sent to foster care-Angela and Ronnie, two women navigating the complexities of sexuality and queerness in and out of prison Leap chisels away at superficial narratives to unearth pasts rife with struggle and oppression. She reveals the sharp edges of reentry and the wounds suffered by these women and their families, exposing a cycle of trauma that powers the revolving door of reentry and reincarceration. And, still, Entry Lessons is a book of hope just as much as it is of pain. Leap calls for systemic change through the development of meaningful reentry programs and policies that will have a lasting, life-changing impact on women as they rebuild their lives and especially as they are able to reclaim their children.

In 2010, former gang leader turned community activist Big Mike Cummings asked UCLA gang expert Jorja Leap to co-lead a group of men struggling to be better fathers in Watts, South Los Angeles. These men, black and brown, from late adolescence to middle-age, most formerly incarcerated, work to build their identities as fathers, connect with their children, and heal their community. "Project Fatherhood "follows the lives of the men, who meet each week as they struggle with the pain of their own losses, the chronic pressures of poverty and unemployment, and the unquenchable desire to do better and provide more for the next generation. Through immersion into the lived experiences of those working to overcome their circumstances, Leap provides not only dramatic stories of fathers trying to do the right thing but a larger sociological portrait of how institutional injustices become manifest in the lives of ordinary people. The group's development over time demonstrates real-life movement toward solutions as the men find support in each other and in their shared goal of healing their families and keeping their children out of the "cradle-to-prison pipeline."