With the “Hear, Here” series, we aim to facilitate conversations around new research in the humanities. Faculty fellows at the Institute for the Humanities will discuss a part of their current project in a short talk followed by a Q & A session.

About this talk:
Women’s ascension into corrections leadership parallels the unprecedented expansion of the U.S. prison-industrial complex. Yet, as women’s labor contributes to the growth of carceral systems, leaders strive to be changemakers, spearheading reforms and humanizing geographies. Weaving together composite narratives drawn from in-depth interviews, this talk situates the work of women leaders as a practice of radical care, exploring the potential and challenge of making meaningful change within harsh and unyielding institutions and systems.

Francine Banner is a 2025-26 Norman Freehling Visiting Fellow at the Institute for the Humanities and Associate Professor Behavioral Sciences, U-M Dearborn.