Stories Untold: Exploring Narratives of the Formerly Incarcerated

• In Event: Systems of Control: School Discipline Policies, Incarceration, and Peer Influences

Abstract

Drawing on a qualitative narrative inquiry research design, this study sought to examine the factors that intensify the probability of incarceration Black men and women. More specifically, this study collected personalized accounts of Black men and women who were previously incarcerated, obtaining their life history through interviews, to better understand the role families, schools, communities, and other social systems play in contributing to incarceration. Each life history explored the participants’ experiences before, during, and after being incarcerated. The data collected helped the researcher to gain a better understanding of the way in which social disparities, environmental influences, and personal development may affect the overrepresentation of Blacks in the criminal justice system.

Author

• Natosha Renee Willis, The Ohio State University - Columbus