About the Project
The why and how of our work here.
Image: Unsplash
Why we did this study
Law enforcement policies and criminal justice practices are important structural factors that produce differential patterns of health and wellbeing among different groups and places. More specifically, hyper-surveillance of under-resourced minority communities contributes to physical and mental health disparities. Particularly, Chicago has struggled with rising crime rates, while the city aggressively police targeted people and areas. Concerns of police injustice as well as rising crime have been two sides of a coin, disproportionately affecting city’s minority communities.
Excess use of force and involuntary police contacts are known to increase the likelihood of injuries and deaths. Furthermore, chronic exposure to neighborhood stress contributes to mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But the health impact of hyper-surveillance goes beyond individuals. Because of the existing racial residential segregation, arrests as well as health disparities are also spatially clustered. As a result, hyper-surveillance has become a collective experience of minority communities.
Indeed, hyper-surveillance affects neighborhood stability. Excessive policing disrupts network ties and support systems that provide a basis for neighborhood social capital. Neighborhood instability further damages social network ties and support systems that are key to neighborhood capacity to deal with their collective issues.
Hyper-surveillance in marginalized communities significantly influences how individuals interact with others in everyday life. This project aimed to explore the expansive implications of racialized hyper-surveillance in minority communities. Additionally, this project was based on the idea of empowering community voices in efforts to advance criminal justice reform and address public health disparities.
Image: Unsplash
How we did this study
As the link between policing and health emerges as a key equity concern, further research is warranted to understand how hyper-surveillance shapes community health and wellbeing. To explore this relationship, our research team implemented a mixed methods study to address the following research questions:
How does hyper-surveillance affect the pattern of social interactions among justice-involved families?
How does living in highly policed neighborhoods affect mental health (e.g., anxiety, PTSD and depression)?
We recruited community members to participate in a photovoice project which included taking photographic images and sharing their relevant stories to illuminate their photos. We recruited 20 residents living on the west side of Chicago. 18 people identified as Black and 2 people identified as Hispanic. Five participants identified as women and 15 participants identified as men. All participants had some previous experiences of justice involvement, such as arrests, incarceration, probation, or community corrections.
After holding an introductory session where we discussed the aims, steps of the project, and the ethics around taking photographs, we facilitated four additional theme-driven sessions. The first session asked participants to reflect on their perceptions of their community; the second session explored views about family, the third session examined perceptions of the police and their interactions with the police, and the last session discussed how their police interactions shaped their sense of self and health.
To promote research rigor, we engaged a Community Advisory Board of policymakers, community members, and community corrections officials to gain feedback on the process and the emerging findings. We also held talk-back sessions in the community to disseminate findings and to receive community input. Lastly, we held a photo exhibit in August 2023 that was co-designed with the participants to showcase photographic images and stories that we collected.
READY TO LEARN MORE?
Head to our Findings page to read more about the distinct themes that emerged in our research.
The Team
Alana Gunn, PhD
Alana Gunn is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Criminology. She is a social work practitioner who has worked with formerly incarcerated individuals and the agencies charged with supporting their re-entry. Her research focuses on how multi-level stigmatization shapes the lives of individuals navigating trauma, illness, and surveillance. Alana also examines ways of advancing ethically-sound, stigma-sensitive research with marginalized communities.
Sage Kim, PhD
Sage Kim is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health. Her research examines the effects of neighborhood context, including hyper-surveillance and incarceration, on health inequality. She focuses particularly on spatial aspects of social and economic vulnerability. Sage has worked with multidisciplinary research teams to explore mechanisms linking social stress and biophysical responses.
Linda Weatherspoon, B.A.
Linda Weatherspoon, B.A. is a Director at Roll Call organization. She is a Chicago native who has over twenty years of non-profit management experience. She is a proven leader who has had successful outcomes working on behalf of the under-served populations, while striving to reduce inequalities. Over the course of her career she has provided quality services predominantly for justice-involved youth, and the elderly. Ms. Weatherspoon multi-faceted roles are rooted in her many years of human service work, and community advocacy experiences. Furthermore, Ms. Weatherspoon commitment to form collaborations, finding resources, and ensuring program compliance attest to her dedication to serve humanity in excellence.
Yvonne Isom, PhD
Yvonne Isom served as a research associate for this project. She is a lecturer at Arizona State University whose research interests include anomie theory and gender-based violence.