When Barbara Allan was 30 years old, her life underwent a significant upheaval. Her estranged husband, Gene, ended up committing a grievous act, the murder of his own father, within the confines of their former shared residence in Long Island. It was the tumultuous year of 1966, and Allan, together with her two young daughters, had only recently escaped their abusive marital environment. Despite the emotional trauma and physical abuse inflicted by Gene, Allan found herself visiting him consistently over the years, initially in Nassau County Jail and subsequently at prisons located upstate.
Barbara Allan’s experiences with the justice system considerably distressed her. She had expected the system to offer security to individuals like herself, who were victims, but instead, she was met with an environment that was daunting, dehumanizing, and counter-intuitive. It was almost as if she was serving an invisible sentence in parallel with Gene’s. The pivotal difference being that her sentence was served in the free world, not behind prison bars.
Shattered but undeterred, Allan resolved to channel her experience into creating a positive change. She used the 1970s’ turbulent environment to co-create a support group named Prison Families Anonymous. This group was aimed at providing much-needed assistance and emotional support for relatives and friends of jailed individuals. Over time, she bore witness to the relentless expansion of the prison system and observed how its grip tightened around an increasing number of individuals.
Today, at the age of 88, Barbara Allan carries a profound melancholy about the immovable system of mass incarceration. She is deeply saddened by a system dominated by punishment and retribution that seems devoid of compassion and humanity. The monumental machinery of incarceration, she finds, is a formidable challenge.
Allan, despite being an activist, carefully avoids introducing political debates into her interactions. Engaging in political wrangles, she feels, can create unnecessary obstacles on her primary path. Her mission, which she considers of higher importance, revolves around providing support to families that grapple with the imprisonment of a kin, regardless of their political orientation.
One political development, however, has resonated deeply with Allan – the repeal of Roe v. Wade. The fact that abortion access is limited ties deeply into her own personal journey. During a public address in New York a few years ago, she disclosed a pivotal part of Gene’s personal history. His mother had tragically lost her life due to an unsafe, self-administered abortion when Gene was merely three years old.
I recently had the chance to reconnect with Barbara Allan at a gathering, the Connecting 4 Justice International conference held in Ashland, Ohio. The conference, despite its relatively small size of approximately 200 attendees, was a reminder of the significant impact a single presidential term can exert on the lives of incarcerated individuals, for better or worse.
This event was held at a small Christian school, nestled between Columbus and Cleveland. This institution has steadily built a reputation as one of the prominent platforms delivering education for people in prison. One of the attendees, Mario Redding, attended the conference with his wife Destinee soon after his release from a 17-year imprisonment, a proud alumnus of Ashland’s college program.
Mario advocated for the crucial role of education in ensuring the success of future generations. His sentiments echoed in the conference that was characterized by a diverse mix of sessions and presentations on a broad spectrum of subjects. While several participants joined in virtually, the substantive discussion gravitated back to the stigma associated with having an incarcerated family member and the challenges faced day-to-day.
The attendees engaged in group activities designed to facilitate open and difficult dialogues via hypothetical situations. One of the sessions focused on cultivating financial management skills, where interestingly, candies were used to represent monthly resources. Discussions ensued about the possible sacrifices community members were prepared to make to ensure the availability of funds for commissary or phone expenses.
In the lives of these families connected to the prison system, the imminent election seemed remote and irrelevant. Advocacy was solely concentrated on the circumstances surrounding the incarceration of their loved ones. This included grappling with the obstacles of red tape and unnecessary unkindness. They understood the role of district attorneys and judges, as elected officials, in holding decisive power in their respective communities.
The conference ended with engaging discussions with local women dealing with the incarceration of their loved ones. They spoke highly of Ashland, characterizing it as a nurturing community filled with empathetic supporters identifying as Christians. However, despite this seeming support, they felt a sense of abandonment once their family members were convicted.
Undeniably, Barbara Allan’s life has been a testament to resilience and compassion. Through her activism and the institution of Prison Families Anonymous, she has continuously provided support to the families of incarcerated individuals across communities. Despite the stigma that looms over these families, she has achieved an incredible feat in prioritizing care, empathy, and assistance over judgment.