Embodied Abolitionism: Reproductive Justice Beyond the Pr*son Complex

Join us for a discussion with abolitionist and community organizer Tanisha Cannon, and law professor Priscilla Ocen.

As mass incarceration has exploded in the U.S. over the past quarter century, more and more people have found themselves imprisoned while pregnant or during their childbearing years. Reproductive injustices run rampant behind bars, from the mass sterilization of Black and Latinx women in California prisons, to the denial of care to birthing people in prisons and jails. In this conversation between abolitionist organizer Tanisha Cannon and law professor Priscilla Ocen, we will explore how a birth justice lens deepens our understandings of freedom and bondage, and what we can do to demand and achieve justice for criminal-legal system involved pregnant people.

Dr. Tanisha Cannon is a dedicated and compassionate advocate for social justice, committed to making a lasting impact on the lives of prisoners and their children. As the Managing Director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, she organizes communities impacted by the criminal justice system and advocates to release incarcerated people, to restore human and civil rights, and to reunify families and communities. Dr. Cannon’s passion for creating positive change stems from her personal experiences. Having witnessed firsthand the effects of the criminal justice system on her own family, with her mother, brothers, and grandfather all experiencing incarceration, she is deeply committed to challenging the status quo. As a juvenile, she also faced direct impacts from the system, giving her a unique perspective and a sense of urgency to work towards systemic reform.

Priscilla A. Ocen is an associate professor of law at Loyola Law School. Her work examines the relationship between race and gender identities and punishment. In particular, her scholarship explores conditions of confinement within women’s prisons and the race and gender implications of the use of practices such as shackling during labor and childbirth. Her work has appeared in academic journals such as the California Law Review, the UCLA Law Review, and the Du Bois Review, as well as in popular media outlets such as Ebony and Al Jazeera.

Location: Fromm Hall 115

Light refreshments will be provided

Free and Open to the Public

Host or Publisher University of San Francisco Davies Forum