Conversations in Conflict Studies

Conversations in Conflict Studies presents “‘They Can't Keep their FOOT on Our Necks’ Carceral Citizenship, Parole Reform, and Disrupting Mass Incarceration,” with Shaneya Simmelkjaer.

The Less Is More (LIM) Act, signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in September 2021, addressed the punitive nature of the parole system in New York State by enhancing rights and due process for people on parole. This community-based participatory research project examined how the LIM Act disrupted the punitive norms of parole in Onondaga County that historically fueled the carceral system, and kept parolees cycled between incarceration, parole, and reentry. This project further examined the role of a prison abolition organization in facilitating the protection and implementation of the LIM Act in Onondaga County. 

Simmelkjaer is currently a Ph.D. student in the Sociology Department at Syracuse University, and her research interests include the sociology of punishment, criminology and Black feminism.