ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY, LAW, & JUSTICE, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
UCR doctoral fellow speaks on struggles of incarcerated Black women
April 02, 2018
Through her research, Gurusami found that these parents have developed a series of clever methods of dealing with these struggles. She then published an article on Feb. 13 in the journal “Social Problems” in which she detailed these strategies, which she calls “decarceral motherwork.”
Research from UCR sociologist Susila Gurusami outlines the ways formerly incarcerated black mothers shield their kids from state intervention
How Parole Officers Define Work for Black Women
December 12, 2017
While employment is vital to a successful future after incarceration, limiting opportunities for both work and education and forcing Black women to partake in rehabilitation labor reinforces notions that Black women’s actions are in need of constant control and discipline by the state.
Women Fight Together
For women looking for jobs after prison, it doesn't just feel harder. It is harder. Meet the formerly incarcerated women who are helping one another to get ahead.
For black women, finding work after prison has added challenges
September 29, 2017
A new report by UC Riverside sociologist Susila Gurusami details how employment requirements after prison disproportionately burden formerly incarcerated black women. And, failure to find a job can land black women back behind bars for violating terms of their parole, she found.
Gurusami’s analysis shows how people’s perceptions of black women, especially those with criminal records, can add to the difficulties in finding reliable work after prison. There is a belief that black women, who have had to grapple with stereotypes including the Ronald Reagan-era “welfare queen,” need to find particular types of work in order to be perceived by state agents as evidence of their moral rehabilitation, Gurusami said.
UCR researcher discovers Black women plagued by employment disadvantages post-prison
September 27, 2017
UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Susila Gurusami, found that black women face more challenges than any other category of people in Los Angeles when trying to find employment after release from incarceration. Her findings were consolidated into her article “Working for Redemption: Formerly Incarcerated Black Women and Punishment in the Labor Market” and recently published in the “Gender and Society” journal.
