Race, Reentry and Mass Incarceration: A critical analysis of racial and criminal stigma

• In Event: Revolutionary Criminology: Shifting Toward a 21st Century Radical Paradigm

Abstract

In the United States, racial disparities in the criminal justice system have historically subjected blacks to higher arrest rates and longer prison terms. On average, over 700,000 people are released from prison each year to communities throughout the U.S. Families of color, especially black families, must deal with the barriers and myriad problems that their formerly incarcerated loved ones experience once they return to society. Although reentry programs seek to prepare formerly incarcerated persons for life outside of prison, such programs are unable to prepare formerly incarcerated persons for reentry into a racist and unjust society. This paper aims to identify barriers associated with reentry for black formerly incarcerated persons and their families, such as stigma, discrimination, and lack of social capital and seeks to propose social justice solutions to address societal racism that often makes the reentry process difficult for black formerly incarcerated persons.

Author

• Sean Wilson, Texas Southern University