Upper Bunkies Unite: And Other Thoughts On the Politics of Mass Incarceration

Andrea James has worked within the criminal justice system for more than 25 years as a youth worker to a former criminal defense attorney. She dedicated her time and resources to providing zealous representation to families within her community of Roxbury, Massachusetts. In 2009 she was disbarred as an attorney, and sentenced to a 24-month federal prison sentence. Even after a lifetime of work seeking justice on behalf of disenfranchised people, she was stunned at what she encountered upon entering the federal prison system. "During my incarceration I was deeply affected by the great number of women who are in prison. Most of these women are serving very long mandatory minimum or guideline sentences for minor participation in drug possession or sales. Most of them are mothers. Their sentences are unreasonably long, the average being ten years. They have been in prison long after what should be considered fair sentences while their children, left behind, struggle to survive." These are the women and children who motivated Andrea to establish Families for Justice as Healing (FFJAH), a nonprofit criminal justice reform organization advocating for harm reduction, community wellness initiatives to replace the war on drugs and mass incarceration. FFJAH speaks from the perspective of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children. The war on drugs and the emphasis on punishment have been the leading factors behind mass incarceration, the separation of mothers from children and the irreversible disenfranchisement of families and entire communities. Andrea has committed herself to fulfilling the promise she made to the women who remain in prison, to speak their truth, advocate for an end to the war on drugs and to support a shift toward community wellness. Andrea is the author of Upper Bunkies Unite: And Other Thoughts On The Politics of Mass Incarceration. She is also the author of A Letter To My Children From A Mad, Black, Incarcerated Mother and a children's book, My Grandparents Are Polar Bears. In her free time, Andrea continues developing her education project, Career Roadmap For Girls www.careerroadmapforgirls.com. Andrea lives in Roxbury, MA with her husband and children.