We All Do the Time Who Cares for Incarcerated Women and Why It Matters

"In We All Do the Time, Holly Foster-Talbot sheds crucial light on a central paradox of women's imprisonment: though women make up a smaller share of the incarcerated population, their confinement - particularly that of mothers - has far-reaching consequences for families and communities. Drawing on richly detailed case studies, Foster reveals how the often unseen labor of mothering behind bars deepens marginalization and strains the mostly female kin who shoulder caregiving on the outside. Both empirically rigorous and deeply humane, this book makes a persuasive case for policies that reduce women's social exclusion, confront racial and ethnic mental health disparities, and strengthen support for all women caring for children - inside and beyond prison walls." - Joyce A. Arditti, author of Parental Incarceration and the Family: Psychological and Social Effects of Imprisonment on Children, Parents, and Caregivers

"We All Do the Time uncovers how incarcerated women struggle to sustain family connections within what Foster calls the family-prison interface, a system where exclusion, care, and emotional labor continually flow across prison walls. Through vivid qualitative narratives and rigorous quantitative analysis, Foster introduces the concepts of intersectionally and intergenerationally linked lives, revealing how race, gender, and social connections with family (including family-like friends) on the outside shape incarcerated women's well-being. Exposing the invisible care work families perform and the weathering effects of imprisonment, this compelling study invites readers to reimagine how we understand, value, and support the lives of incarcerated women and their loved ones." - Vera Lopez, co-editor of Latinas in the Criminal Justice System: Victims, Targets, and Offenders