Trauma, Prison-based College Programs, and Self-identity: The Biographical Narratives of the Formerly Incarcerated

• In Event: Mental Health and Adjustment Among Systems-Involved Youth

Abstract

Prison-based college programs aim to provide an important pathway for incarcerated incarcerated people to access law-abiding lives. Proponents of prison-based post-secondary education suggest that education programs unlock human potential, provide a ladder to the middle class, foster notions of citizenship, promote individual responsibility, and facilitate a successful reentry experience. Drawing on data from 45 in-depth episodic biographical interviews with 15 formerly incarcerated people, and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision case file information, this paper explores the educational and criminal justice pathways of prison-to-college pipeline participants. A grounded theory approach was adopted to analyze the interview data, incorporating a tri-fold coding strategy of attributive coding logs, first cycle coding, and pattern coding. Recognizing that core self-identity is a complex, multi-faceted, shifting phenomenon, influenced by multiple situational and social factors, this paper provides insight into how life events and social influences shape educational and criminal justice trajectories. In particular the role of complex trauma through the life course is highlighted, and the ways in which the role of “student” and “learner” help incarcerated men understand and reconcile past traumatic events is revealed.

Authors

• Kevin Barnes-Ceeney, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute

• Bianca van Heydoorn, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute

• Sabretta Alford, John Jay College of Criminal Justice