Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice and the Carceral State

Patricia O'Brien, PhD, MSW, is Associate Professor (retired) at the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Nationally known for her advocacy and research on women in and out of prison, she published one of the first studies examining how women succeed in the community after release from incarceration. Judith S. Willison, PhD, MSW, LICSW, is Associate Professor in the Bridgewater State University School of Social Work. Her scholarship focuses on understanding the place of criminalized behavior within existing systems of social inequity and institutionalized white supremacy to support activist interventions.

PART 1: FOUNDATIONS FOR ANTI-OPPRESSIVE SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN THE CARCERAL STATE

CHAPTER 1: How We Got Here and Where We Want to Go
How We Got Here: Carceral State Summary
Where We Want to Go: Social Work in the Carceral State
Overview of the Criminal Legal System
A Brief History
Functions and Components of the Criminal Legal System
Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice (AOP)
Book Structure and Chapters
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

CHAPTER 2: The Sociopolitical Context of Social Work Practice and the Carceral State
Anti-Oppressive Social Work: Why Sociopolitical Context Matters
Understanding the Sociopolitical Evolution and Expansion of the Carceral State
Defining the Carceral State
Evolution and Expansion of the Carceral State
Introduction to Institutional Mechanisms of the Carceral State
Transforming the Carceral System: Implications of a Sociopolitical Analysis for Anti-Oppressive Social Work
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

CHAPTER 3: An Anti-Oppressive Framework for Social Work Practice in the Carceral State
Empowerment and Strengths Perspectives
Anti-Oppressive Practice in the Carceral State
Engagement Phase
Teaching and Learning Assessment Phase
Action and Accompaniment Intervention Phase
Evaluation Phase
Evidence-Informed Practice in the Criminal Legal System
Trauma-Informed Care
Public Health Approach
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

CHAPTER 4: The Criminalization of People with Mental Illness
The Evolution of the Criminalization of Mental Illness
Mechanisms of the Criminalization of Mental IllnessAnti-Oppressive Social Work and Public Health Interventions
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

PART 2: ANTI-OPPRESSIVE SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN CARCERAL SETTINGS

CHAPTER 5: An Anti-Oppressive Social Work Approach to Public Safety and Judicial Responses
Anti-Oppressive Social Work and Policing
he Changed Nature of Contemporary Police Forces
Policing and Community-Based Behavioral Crises
An Anti-Oppressive Analysis of Police-Social Work Collaborations
A Community-Based Approach to Public Safety
Anti-Oppressive Social Work and Problem-Solving Courts
Drug Courts
Mental Health Courts (MHCs)
An Anti-Oppressive Analysis of Problem-Solving Courts
Community-Based Restorative Responses
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

CHAPTER 6: Transparency and Transformation in Carceral Detention
Healthcare During Detention
Suicide in Jail
Immigrant Detention
Anti-Oppressive Social Work in Jails and Detention Centers
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
References

CHAPTER 7: Challenges and Possibilities of Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice in Prison with Men
The Mass Incarceration of Man
The Build-up of Incarcerated Men: A History of Gendered Racism
Mechanisms of Men's Criminalization
Men's Convictions
Violent Crime
Men Sentenced to the Death Penalty for Capital Offenses
Life Sentences
Prison Conditions
Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons
Prison Suicide and Self-Injurious Behavior
Health Conditions
Practice Interventions with Men in Prison
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

CHAPTER 8: Challenges and Possibilities of Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice in Prison with Women Prison as a Gendered Organization
The Buildup of Women's Incarceration: Reform
The Buildup of Women's Incarceration: Punishment
Characteristics of Women in Prison
Women's Convictions
Drug Crimes
Sexual Crimes
Women Sentenced to the Death Penalty for Capital Crimes
Pathways to Criminalization
Prison Conditions
Solitary Confinement
Pregnancy/Birth/Loss
Sexual Assault in Prison
Health Conditions
Social Work Practice with Women in Prison
Promising Interventions
From Prison to the Community: Advocacy and Concluding Thoughts
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References

PART 3: LEVELS OF INTERVENTION

CHAPTER 9: How Families Resist the Carceral State and MoveToward Healing
Parental Incarceration
Caregiving
Compounded Pain: The Child Welfare System
Visitation During Incarceration
Community Rebuilding
Conclusion
Expanding Our Vision
Online Resources
References