Unshackled by Design: How Incarcerated Black Men Successfully Escape the School-to-Prison Nexus

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 5:10 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: (Re)Framing Reform: Confronting the Complexities of Social Justice Across Contexts (Table 6)

Abstract

This paper shares the results of two studies on the reintegration of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black men through prison-to-university pathways (PUP) and praxis. In these studies, the lived experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black men are examined to increase understanding, explore nuances and provide pathways of healing through holistic support services. These studies employed an asset-based cultural methodology and their intersection explores the importance of healing within carceral educational spaces.
The two studies applied a qualitative approach, using narrative inquiry through caring conversations and phenomenological interviews. Black Urban Storytelling—a theoretical framework developed by one researcher emphasizes contemporary storytelling and active listening with individuals who successfully reintegrated into society, thereby transforming lives.

Authors

• Lauren Sneed, San Francisco State University

• Shanice Nicole Robinson, San Francisco State University