My interest in incarceration comes from a sort of sheltered familiarity with the victim's perspective.
My (step-)brother lost someone close to him shortly after we first met, but before we became family. This loss came as the result of a violent crime.
The man responsible was sentenced to over a decade in prison. Over the years I watched how this affected my brother and when the person responsible for the crime was released (due to his guilty plea and cooperation through the investigation), I saw the anger resurface at the thought of this man being set free.
This led me to wonder what life after release was like and subsequently examine and explore the phrase "debt to society". Is that debt ever truly repaid, or does it linger and follow beyond the sentence served? Is that debt shouldered by the person responsible, or does the punishment diffuse to include those close to the offender?
These are some of the questions my work on incarceration seeks answers to.
A sketch drawn by a 15-year-old boy during a visit at Brisbane Youth Detention Centre. 2015.
Members of the Blue Angles - a choir inside of Thonburi Women's Detention Centre, rehearse for an upcoming public performance. 2018.
Sisters G and D (Pseudonyms used) stand at the window of an orphanage in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Their mother (and primary guardian) were incarcerated as a result of Prime Minister Thaksin's War on Drugs leaving the sisters parentless.
Uniforms of incarcerated individuals hang to dry at Bang Kwang central prison near Bangkok, Thailand. 2017.
Obie, who spend over 30 years incarcerated, stands outside of 72+ - a shot-term shelter program for newly released individuals that assists in reintegration- in New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018.
Shortly after his release O.B. was diagnosed with diabetes after he lost consciousness at the short-term shelter. He did not seek treatment for symptoms whilst incarcerated as he did not want to be cited for malingering for fear of having his sentenced lengthened.
Obie, who spent over 30 years incarcerated, sits on the couch in the 72+ home - a shot-term shelter program for newly released individuals that assists in reintegration- New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018.
Detail of the jeans of a formerly incarcerated individual. The jeans were prison issued and, lacking the means to buy new ones, the wearer opted instead to scrub the inmate number from them and wear them after his release.