Both Sides of the Wall: Empowering Incarcerated Families through Healing & Wellness

This public history project is a multiyear project that is focused on eliminating the stress and trauma of families who experience generational incarceration. By focusing on addressing the stress and trauma of familial incarceration, we aim to empower BIPOC communities and residents in the preservation, creation, and curation of their community histories. Understanding the relationship between trauma, stress, and the physical body is essential to optimal health, wellbeing, and happiness. In urban communities, physical trauma and psychological prevalence are even higher due to many environmental and cultural factors. These factors include but are not limited to poverty, social inequality, unemployment, caregiving and custody concerns. Additionally, parent-child separation, poor academic performance, high risk of juvenile delinquency, and substance abuse are factors associated with stress and trauma of incarcerated families. One Circle Health and Wellness offers services to educate, empower, and strengthen the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of individuals and families in urban communities. 

We will develop and conduct workshops, presentations, and classes on stress and trauma for fostering sustainable community partnerships with stakeholders who support children and families experiencing stress and trauma from generational incarceration. We aim to provide community members access to health and wellness support. We also value preserving the lived experience and historical knowledge of generational trauma on children due to familial incarceration. Digital and creative resources will be used to critically examine the public history of generational trauma on children and families with incarcerated loved ones.

Project Community Partner

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Sam Williams

Executive Director, Concord Prison Outreach; Founder, One Circle Health and Wellness, LLC

Mr. Sam Williams has been in the nonprofit sector for over twenty years. Mr. Williams is the Executive Director for Concord Prison Outreach and the founder of One Circle Health and Wellness, LLC. He has been instrumental in various local/statewide/national initiatives, including historical racial injustice, racial profiling, juvenile justice reform, restorative justice, racial profiling, positive youth development, and public safety. He is currently the co-chair for the Community Advisory Board of the Crime Race and Justice Center in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Mr. Williams is a native Bostonian and a graduate from Boston University with a Master’s Degree in City Planning. 

Project College Instructor

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Patrice Collins

Assistant Professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Department of Cultures, Societies and Global Studies in Africana Studies, Northeastern University

Dr. Patrice Collins is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Department of Cultures, Societies and Global Studies in Africana Studies at Northeastern University. Her research focuses on children with incarcerated families. More broadly, her research agenda is situated at the intersection of urban sociology, race and ethnicity, social justice, parental incarceration, and child wellbeing. Dr. Collins earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale University. She also earned a B.A. in Child Development and M.A. in Early Childhood Education, Sociology, and Philosophy.