N=17 (and counting)

Y'all, this week marks the completion of my 17th dissertation interview!!

Together, these interviews represent approximately16% of returning citizens who were serving JLWOP sentences in Michigan.  They also represent...

530 

years of prison time served

58 

interview hours

53 

hours of driving (~1700 miles)

100 

hours of training, debrief, and meetings with my research team

200+ 

hours of transcription

$850 

of gift cards

17 

stories of resilience, transformation, and hope {more on this soon}

Participants have been so gracious and thoughtful and candid and funny as they share

about their lives + hopes + dreams

& 

insight for how to better support marginalized communities...and when 

&  

ideas for criminal justice reform.

I am so pumped and honored to be able bring their stories, insights, and ideas to light!

Thank You to all who have supported me in the last few months 

with words of encouragement, questions about my research, and financial contributions.

Your touch points have been essential for me as I continue this project while also teaching, working on manuscripts and grant applications, seeing clients, and 
being a partner+parent+sibling+adult kid+friend++++.  

Thank you.

-------

Now, at this point in any conversation, two questions typically emerge:

Q1. Are you done yet?

Short answer = No

Done = complete dissertation and graduation

{anticipated date for both: December 2020}

The goal for my dissertation is N=22 so I will continue toward that goal {and beyond, as I can}

I am also waiting to hear back on some funding that would support travel to potential participants who live outside of southeast Michigan.  I believe these perspectives are valuable as we think about how to support folks returning to society from long prison sentences on a more national level.

Q2. What comes next?
Short answer = Get a job

I plan to go on the academic market {i.e. look for faculty jobs at universities across the U.S.} in a year with my eyes on starting the job in Fall 2021.  As many of you know, Quentin will be a senior that year so we may need to be creative in our arrangements but we are "going Team" on all of this {as we do} and trust we will find our way. 

Team Brydon Ottawa Adventure - August 2019

unknowns  

anxiety

hard work

excitement 

for all that comes next.  Stay tuned...

"Before I went to prison, I was still a child playing a grown man's games..."

As many of you know, I am in the final year {fingers crossed} of my PhD student journey. 

My committee has approved my dissertation study.

The human subjects board gave me the official go-ahead this week to start collecting data {squee!}  

A lot is about to happen in the coming months.  

I already feel the depths of loneliness, disconnection, & investment weighing heavy in my journey. 

So, I am reaching out to y'all with an invitation for some support 

{scroll to the bottom section for more information on ways to support}

A little background.

2012. The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled in Miller v. Alabama that mandatory juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences were unconstitutional.  The ruling applied to juvenile sentences issued after that date but did not apply to the ~2500 folks who were currently serving JLWOP sentences.  2016. SCOTUS made a decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana requiring states to retroactively apply the Miller ruling.  Their decision entitled about 365 juvenile lifers to resentencing in the State of Michigan {where I am doing my study}, which houses the 2nd largest JLWOP population in the country {PA > MI > CA > LA > FL...}.  To date, the SCOTUS legislation has resulted in Michigan resentencing and releasing over 90 juvenile lifers - men and women who were incarcerated as teenagers and then released after spending 20 to 60 years behind bars.  

We know.

Individuals released from prison often encounter numerous barriers to successful re-entry:

Difficulties locating and securing housing

Difficulties obtaining employment

Managing the effects of trauma

Managing relationships with family and friends

These needs are mirrored among the juvenile lifers who were resentenced and released and these individuals also demonstrate considerable resiliencies and potential (Brydon, 2018; 2019).  However, programming and services for juvenile lifers while they were incarcerated was {and continues to be} de-prioritized and withheld. 

While SCOTUS made landmark decisions about JLWOP sentencing, they did not offer provisions or funding for services and programming during incarceration, nor at re-entry.  This leaves hundreds of juvenile lifers being released from decades of prison {their most formative decades} without adequate support for successful and sustained re-entry.  

We need to know more.

For my dissertation, I have the privilege of interviewing folks who were sentenced to JLWOP and then released in Michigan. These individuals reside across the state and I am looking to conduct interviews in participant homes or communities. The interviews {~2.5 hours long} are designed to get a better understanding of what support is most important. 

{e.g., mental health, employment, social, health, housing}  

This study is one step toward my broader goal of connecting with and interviewing all {or as many as will respond} juvenile lifers in the country - both those who have been released and those who remain incarcerated.  I am also interested in interviewing folks who were incarcerated as juveniles and are serving sentences of varying lengths to compare the needs, resiliencies, and opportunities for intervention.

My community partner.

I've partnered with the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office {SADO} and one of their volunteer programs {Project Re-Entry} to conduct this study.  They even have a small team of volunteers who have offered to assist with the study {team photo pending}. 

I am also networking in other states to get a move on my long-term goals for a more national representation.  

When I first envisioned my dissertation, I thought I would be engaging 20-25 participants...maybe.  Now, it looks like I could be engaging with 2-4 times that number in the next 6 months 

{super big gulp & deeeeeeep breaths}

I am excited and intimidated.

I am told this research agenda is ambitious and atypical of someone with "student" status. 

I feel that but y'all know what I am like when I get excited about the work I am doing!  

That is the both, and space I am writing from today:

I am excited about this work 

{it is a BIG undertaking}

This work is groundbreaking; no one else seems to be doing it

{i have more access to/interest in it than expected}

I have a vision beyond this immediate time frame 

{my partners are eager/reaching for the beyond too}

I am ready for this

{i feel intimidated by what is on my plate}

Ways you can support me (and this research).

The things I feel most worried about as I continue my journey are: 

feeling lonely + feeling disconnected + how to fund this research.

-----  

I have wonderful family and friends {that's YOU} but y'all are spread all over the bless-ed earth and connecting can be a challenge. I also have wonderful academic "peeps" who are similarly spread across the globe. 

Staying connected in spite of that feels important for me.

+

Now that I have all of my approvals, I'm able to apply for a handful of dissertation funds, which is awesome but none of the funding is guaranteed and much of the data collection and expense will take place before any of that funding would come in.  The cost for each participant is approx. $150 {$50 gift card incentive + $100 for transcription, transportation, materials}.  My study team has volunteered to help with transcription but the # of potential participants definitely exceeds the time they have to offer.

All that to say, if you feel compelled to support me {and this research}, here are some ideas:

Be Curious. Be Genuine.
It is so grounding for me to talk with people about what I am doing, what I am curious about, what I am passionate about, or what I am puzzling over. I know I can go it alone but that is not really how I am built. My research, practice, and overall humanity are always better following our dialogue so I'd like to invite you to ask me about my research or some aspect of my academic/social work life.  What questions do you have about the work?  The people?  The bigger social issues?  Bring it. I will also work on posting every month or two to share how things are going so keep your eyes peeled.

SADO's Project Re-Entry {my community partner} supports the publication of a JLWOP-community newsletter.  Check out The Drum.

Share. Be Open. 
I know I am busy but I also love hearing what y'all are up to.  Please share how you are doing, what you are working on, what you are curious about, what you are passionate about, or what you are puzzling over.  While I am definitely on a hustle track over here, I find it life-giving to connect in spite of distance and complex schedules.

Contribute.  If You Are Able.
Every bit helps.  I also know how every bit can be spoken for so absolutely no pressure if that is your space.  If you are able to contribute {THANK YOU!}, please let me know if you do not want to be named in donor acknowledgements. Any funds in excess of the research costs will be donated to Project Re-Entry for direct support of folks being released from JLWOP.

       ❥ Direct contributions can be made via Paypal {daphnebrydon@hotmail.com} or the Cash app         
          {$DaphneBrydon}. Include "JLWOP Research" and your preferred contact information in the
          notes section.
       ❥ Direct contributions can be made via check {payable to: Daphne Brydon}.  Please include
          "JLWOP Research" on the memo line and include your preferred contact information in/on the
           envelope. Send to: 2155 Jackson Avenue, Ste 1, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
       ❥ Gift cards for participant incentives to grocery/fuel vendors {e.g. Kroger, Aldi, Meijer, Target, Whole 
              Foods, Mobil, Shell, Speedway, BP} in denominations of $25 .  Please include your preferred
           contact info in/on the envelope.  Send to: 2155 Jackson Avenue, Ste 1, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Encourage Me. Encourage Others.
Life has a whole lotta suck. Let's help it suck less. Send a little note or leave a little message of encouragement...for me or for someone else in your life.  It nearly always puts a pep in the receiver's step and feels pretty darn good to send it too.

Learn More.  Challenge Yourself.
Our justice system is complex and deeply entrenched in social issues that touch all of us, whether we acknowledge it or not.  You can find a lot of documentaries, articles, podcasts, and books about the current and historical states of our justice system, the experiences of persons who are justice-involved, and how we think about the system in the years to come.  Challenge yourself to listen to perspectives and engage narratives outside of your typical experience or frame of reference.

Thank you for considering & stay tuned!

I am doing fine (and I am not lying)

Next week marks the halfway point in the second quarter of the 2nd year of my doctoral program.

I will defend my dissertation proposal this year and write it next year.

I have the most magnificent cohort of women journeying alongside me.

I have an incredible partner and children cheering me on.

My opportunities to grow & learn & network abound.

I am living my dream

So, if you ask me how I am doing, I will tell you 

"I am doing fine"

and 

I am not lying 

{but I'm also not telling you the whole truth}

The whole truth is...

I am tired

{more tired than when I worked midnights & more tired even than when we had a newborn}

Commuting two time zones for school is not as easy as it looks.

I have serious FOMO with our family’s every day life.

I find it difficult to have to miss our kids’ birthdays.

I still need pep talks on the regular because this feels so…beyond.

I miss sleeping right up next to my partner every night.

I long to connect {in real life} with my tribe spread around the globe.

I struggle with needing to choose time with my family over time with friends.
I struggle with needing to choose schoolwork over time with family & friends.

It is hard for me to say “no" or "I am sorry I can't..." 

I just miss the way things used to be.  

This season is different.

Living my dream is lovely and validating and also...

really, really hard.

Adolescence, Interrupted

“Do people always tell you things they've never told anyone before?” 

We'd just completed a 2-hr interview in a participant’s home and were headed back to the office.  

In the interview, I too, had been struck by our participants’ vulnerability 

but it was in line with what I typically encounter

{occupational gift / occupational hazard}

so by the time I climbed into the car, I was mostly feeling relieved the digital recorder worked and the interview was completed within the allotted time frame.

 My colleague {trained as a lawyer and social worker without clinical or qualitative research experience} was floored.  

“Overcome by so many emotions"

The participants we are interviewing are my colleague’s clients.

They are individuals incarcerated for a lifetime at age 14 – 17 yo.

Then, re-sentenced & released following the Supreme Court determination that juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences are unconstitutional.
They have spent more time in prison than I have been alive.

My colleague has worked countless hours, without pay, to assist with his clients’ cases and knows the complex depth and breadth that accompanies each.

He knows the grief, sadness, and pain they’ve inflicted on others.

He knows the challenges they’ve had to face + overcome to be sitting in their home with us.

He knows the costs of their freedom.

He knows the importance of their stories to impact public perception and sentencing policy.

For months, my colleague has been worried the research won’t be able to get very deep given our allotted interview window.  I have been fastidious with developing the interview protocols and training our study team, which I think instituted a sense that the interview might feel constrained or artificial.  For months, I have assured him we would be able to honor their stories through this research project but as he expressed this concern again while we walked up his client’s porch steps, the only thing left to say was:

“It’ll be okay, you’ll see”

And it was.

{phew}

During this, his first interview, he heard information and perspectives he hadn’t heard before – even though he has been listening for months and months.  

As we drove away, he was already generating ideas for ways their agency could immediately support their clients better during mitigation and re-entry.  

He was moved to attend to his work differently.   

Policy informs practice.

Practice informs research.

Research informs practice.

Research informs policy.

Y’all,

Trauma-informed, community-based research.

This is why I, as a clinician, feel compelled to do research.

This.

This why I am doing the whole PhD thing.

#soexcited