Beating the System: The Stories of Three African American Males Who Overcome the School-to-Prison Nexus

• In Event: 35.079 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Five - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 35.079-5 - Stories of Balance and Equity in Schooling

Abstract

In this narrative inquiry study, three African American men describe their experiences as K-12 students pushed out of school and into the criminal justice system. Drawing on a constellation of theoretical frameworks including critical race theory, the carceral state, and experience, I share their stories as a source of knowledge for disrupting the school-to-prison nexus. The narrative accounts detail multiple suspensions, negative interactions with teachers, and the dehumanizing experience of being incarcerated. The participants’ describe how they later sought college education to overcome the disenfranchisement caused by a criminal record. Implications from this research suggest that use of narrative methods can help educators and researchers address the social injustice of the STPN through changes to educational policies and practices.

Author

• Clarice Thomas, Georgia State University