ÂME

Devan is a master at letter writing. Being a penpal has become a necessity for him, a ritual connecting him to his father. Since his father’s incarceration, his grandmother and brother have become his caretakers. “Letter writing provided me with comfort and kept us close throughout his incarceration, but he was deported to St. Lucia upon his release. Now, I struggle with a new level of separation.” He is one of an estimated 10 million adolescents in the United States affected by parental imprisonment. The country leads the world in incarceration rates, with more than half of detainees parents of children under 18. In New York State alone, over 105,000 adolescents are directly impacted. ÂME is a project about youth whose parents have been imprisoned. Created in partnership with Children of Promise, a community-centered organization in Brooklyn, the work examines the ripple effects of the justice system on families. Housed in a former A.M.E. Zion Church, a site of cultural resilience, the images connect intimate experience to legacies of resistance. The images constitute one chapter in an evolving practice, offering a humanizing lens on youth affected by parental detention while highlighting the overlooked consequences of mass incarceration on communities. By integrating photography, text, and creative mediums, the project reimagines how the prison system’s impact is represented and whose voices are carried forward, centering the experiences of those too often left unseen.