U. alum receives New Scholar award for her book 'Invisible Mothers'

Earlier this month, Janet Garcia-Hallett, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven and a Rutgers—Newark alum, was awarded the New Scholar Award for her book, "Invisible Mothers: Unseen Yet Hypervisible after Incarceration."

The award was presented by the American Society of Criminology's (ASC) Division on Feminist Criminology, an organization of feminist criminologist scholars, Garcia-Hallett said. 

The novel details the hardships that formerly incarcerated mothers of color face after leaving the prison system.

"I argue that mothers of color remain ignored or forgotten when it comes to practical support and resources to combat their oppression," Garcia-Hallett said. "And yet, when they take measures into their own hands to survive their circumstances — this is when there is public attention towards them that focuses on stigmatizing, criminalizing and punishing them."

She said her interest in the matter was sparked during her graduate years when she began to recognize the negativity that surrounds incarcerated mothers and how individuals fail to understand these mothers' points of view.

The dialogue surrounding incarcerated mothers typically occurs from a negative perspective, but her book highlights the perspectives and experiences of these women, Garcia-Hallett said.

"My book, 'Invisible Mothers,' is a way to center their voices as mothers and share their stories, as if the book was a window into their lives," she said.

Garcia-Hallett also said that society is more interested in punishing people than looking at what causes them to commit crimes in the first place.

"Unfortunately, our punitive society doesn't have an interest in addressing problems (or supposedly addressing problems) until the harm has already been done," she said. "My hope is that we could move away from this double-edged sword."

Garcia-Hallett said the New Scholar Award recognizes her contributions to feminist criminology, and to her, it celebrates her research and the accomplishments she has attained.

Garcia-Hallett said she has been an active member of the ASC's Division on Feminist Criminology, as well as the ASC's Division on People of Color and Crime since her graduate years at Rutgers.

She said being recognized by the award was important due to past instances where several Black feminist scholars felt underrepresented within the Division on Feminist Criminology and were growing apart from the group. Garcia-Hallett said such issues of representation occur throughout academia.

"So, as an Afro-Latina woman and first-generation college (graduate), it is extremely meaningful to receive any award that recognizes my work," she said.

Garcia-Hallett said she wishes to see further recognition of a diversity of voices in this field by the Division on Feminist Criminology. In terms of her long-term goals as a professor and writer, Garcia-Hallett said she is currently living through them.

"As a graduate student at Rutgers, I sought out to center the voices of women of color and mothers of color in the criminal legal system, with the hopes of reaching program personnel, practitioners, policymakers, the general public and other researchers who could further expand on my work," she said.

Additionally, she said she was astonished at the response and reception of her book in the short time that it has been published.

"My hope is that these groups continue to engage with my work to advocate for change," Garcia-Hallett said.