Understanding the Schooling Experiences of Formerly Incarcerated African American Children Over the Life Course

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Reimagining Black Parenting in School and Community

Abstract

Following the landmark 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana, approximately 2,500 men and women sentenced to mandatory life without the possibility of parole as children (sometimes referred to as “juvenile lifers”) for acts of homicide became eligible to be released. As these juvenile lifers prepare to re-enter into society, it is important to think about their life histories and their early schooling experiences. Although there are a number of factors that could possibly account for juvenile lifers’ decisions to commit acts of homicide, this study employs both semi-structured life history interviews and life history calendars to examine the effects of schooling experiences (positive or negative) over the life course.

Author

• Juwan Z. Bennett, Temple University