Supporting caregivers of children whose parents are incarcerated

My approach
Led the design research process:

building connections with criminal justice advocates, organizations and people directly impacted by it
framing the design opportunity
conducting research
synthesizing insights
facilitating participatory brainstorming sessions

Who are the caregivers?
Caregivers could be grandparents, mothers, fathers, aunts, siblings, or neighbors.

Background
2.6 million US children under 18 years old have a mother or father behind bars. There is rising attention on the circumstances of children with incarcerated parents. However, little focus has been placed on caregivers who raise children in the context of separation and loss. As part of a 5-month capstone project at the MICA Center for Social Design, I dug further into this issue, hoping to gather community knowledge to advance efforts.

Co-creation
When I was looking into support for caregivers, I had the chance to talk to some really amazing people. I got to speak with individuals impacted by incarceration, plus criminal justice advocates, community leaders, family navigators, and social workers. Even though everyone was super busy during the legislative session in Annapolis, we still managed to find time to chat for hours on the phone, meet up in person, or email back and forth. It was really great to make some new connections within the community and see where they might take me!

Output
Through many conversations and research on existing programs, practices, and policies, I was able to synthesize a wealth of stories. Seeking input from community leaders and criminal justice advocates, I facilitated a brainstorming session to gather feedback on the initial synthesis and explore creative ways to implement caring practices for caregivers. The result of this collaboration is a publication that includes the entire process, complete with inspiring stories and ideas from community leaders. We hope the ideas can positively impact the lives of caregivers and those they care for.

Collaborator(s)
Community Experts, and Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Caregiver Support, Criminal Justice Reform
2019, Baltimore, USA

Themes that emerged from conversations