Abigail's research focuses on Black women from African and Caribbean backgrounds who have histories of offending and explores their desistance pathways. Her objective is to uncover the diversity within these communities and emphasise the importance of considering this diversity when providing support to Black, African, and Caribbean women with offending histories. It is noted that grouping these women together could present challenges in their treatment within the criminal justice system and their successful reintegration into the community

Introduction

Completing this chapter is seemingly bittersweet because, for me, reflection is never an easy road to tread. It evokes the many years of feelings I have tried to suppress to get by – anger, hatred, disappointment, grief, and mental turmoil. Yet, simultaneously, I feel a sense of honour and gratitude whenever I share my experiences because it means more than just reflecting. It provides an affinity space for me and enables my story to reach the people – especially Black women who can relate to this journey of what I like to call ‘Mind Management’. More importantly, I am managing a multifaceted persona and balancing family life while ensuring I can fit in and be accepted in and outside university. I think, for context, I should start from the beginning, my childhood.

It started as a kid

Growing up was definitely a challenge for me, but a challenge I didn't recognise or understand until early adulthood. I say this because it is widely documented that within the Caribbean community, we tend to have a ‘Get on with it’ attitude and we are taught the mentality that ‘We should remain strong when confronted with adversities’ (Vance, 2019).