Mass Incarceration: The Impact of Childhood Racial Trauma(s) on Criminality, Reentry, and Recidivism

Dr. Johnson shares his lived experiences growing up in the rural South, and the challenges he faced with integration and racism. He discusses how the experience of racial traumas during childhood negatively impacts adult life if not addressed, and may lead to low self-esteem and low self-efficacy, which can meta-motivate poor choices in daily life that eventually lead to incarceration and substance use disorders. His mind-body medicine model for healing encompasses the whole lifespan of racial traumas using the spiritual tradition of Sankofa to restore back to self. Ultimately, the end goal is to with individuals who have experienced trauma(s) associated with substance misuse, criminality, incarceration, and reentry to reduce mass incarceration. CREDITS: Producer: @olu8films Director: @shakajamal Director of Photography: @mitchellstpics Graphics Animation: @allstreetlooks Production Assistant: @liadmnd Music: @audiobinger Archival Photography: Johnson Family Archives, Bettmann, Anonymous, Ed Clark, Robert W. Kelley Location: @spirithausgallery