Disaggregating the 'Mark' of a Criminal Record: Dishonorable Discharge From Prison

• In Event: 20859 - Prisons and the Production of Lives and Deaths

Abstract

Since Pager’s (2003) seminal work on the ‘mark of a criminal record’, research has well established the myriad ways criminal records negatively impact re-entry. However, empirical shifts in the California prison landscape, where “Sensitive Needs Yards” have proliferated, create a puzzling inquiry: Why do some institutions, such as parole or policing, homogenize the mark of a criminal record while family or community members disaggregate this mark and engage with formerly incarcerated individuals differentially, thus inhibiting or facilitating re-entry. At present, theory on how prison incarceration affects outcomes and experiences in community life cannot answer such a question. Conceptualizing prison as a credentialing institution, previous research has largely (1) homogenized the credentials one receives from prison incarceration and (2) homogenized the salience of prison credentials to various audiences. To address this theoretical lacuna, I utilize a unique, in-depth interview sample of 65 formerly incarcerated individuals navigating employment, parole, and community institutions after prison incarceration. The current article reveals that prison incarceration can create negative cultural capital or “dishonorable discharges” from prison for those with stigmatized criminal convictions or those who parole from “Sensitive Needs Yards.” Simultaneously, prison can also create positive credentials or “honorable discharges” for those without stigmatized charges and who parole from general population prison yards. Unique from previous accounts, the current studies reveal how communities disaggregate prison credentials and respond in ways that have highly consequential implications for prison re-entry. Those with dishonorable discharges are systematically cut from vital community social networks, often having to move to distant locations under the threat of violence. In contrast, honorable discharges are embraced and offered emotional, financial, and employment resources. On the other hand, “homogenizing institutions” like parole or policing do not disaggregate prison credentials and thus reify incarceration stigma in ways that uniquely inhibit community reintegration for dishonorable discharges.

Author

• Caylin Louis Moore, Stanford University