Social Work Professors Work on Research, PhotoVoice Project with Bridgeport Children

Documentary-through-photography initiative focuses on children with incarcerated parents

Sacred Heart University’s School of Social Work faculty members are proud to showcase the outcomes of an action plan created by Bridgeport children that focuses on the hardships they face when their parents or guardians are incarcerated. The year-long pandemic delayed the students from showing off their hard work.

­Jason Ostrander, assistant professor of social work, and three fellow SHU faculty used PhotoVoice, a method used in community-based research, that puts cameras in the hands of everyday people so they can record and share their perspectives and experiences. Ostrander described PhotoVoice as a community-based approach to help children be able to talk about and to show their lived experience.

Ostrander launched the Bridgeport-based project in 2018 with Kerry ‘Kate’ Kelly, clinical assistant professor of social work and BSW Program Director; Elizabeth Allen, adjunct professor of social work; and Amanda Moras, associate professor of sociology and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The project includes photographs taken and selected by Bridgeport children and then paired with narratives written by each participant (child) that explain the photos. When the project wrapped up, the world was dealing with the global pandemic and the children never received the attention they deserved.

The project’s results will be shared with various community members throughout Bridgeport, elected officials, funders, community groups and advocacy organizations. The purpose of sharing the results is to shed light on the burdens these children face and dispel misconceptions about young people with family members in prison, Ostrander said.

“Many people see a system of crime, but they do not see that the loss of a family member is the loss of income for a household,” Ostrander said. “Incarceration forces families into survival mode, fighting to put food on their tables and struggling to keep their families together.”

The children who took the photos have at least one incarcerated parent. In addition to the photographs, they participated in focus groups that discussed everyone’s pictures and any images that were grouped together. The SHU team then analyzed and examined the material to determine the effects incarceration has on children and the related stigma associated with having an incarcerated family member.

Through their PhotoVoice project, Ostrander and his team hope to inspire action that will improve the lives of children with incarcerated family members, including making visits with imprisoned parents and guardians more family friendly.

SHU’s University Research and Creativity Grants program, which funds work and activities that enhance faculty members’ professional development, awarded Ostrander and his team the grant to cover research and publishing costs. Their PhotoVoice project was produced through SHU’s School of Social Work.

Photo: From left are Professor Kate Kelly, parent Shaquana Shaw, participant Shakia Perry and Professor Jason Ostrander.