Disconnection to Reconnection: Using Technology to Understand the Re-entry Experience

• In Event: Sources of Variation in Experiences of Reentry

Abstract

Much of the literature on the barriers facing the formerly incarcerated addresses the legal restrictions of the reentry process such as employment, public housing, voting and professional licenses. Individuals returning from prison face a daunting array of counterproductive, debilitating and unreasonable roadblocks in almost every important aspect of life. Rather than providing the means for a successful transition, many states and the federal government put up legal barriers that hinder the ability of former prisoners to rebuild their lives. Few studies have examined the ways in which individuals undergoing reentry use technology (i.e., smartphones and social media) to access social, political and economic opportunities. This project examines the impact of technology on the lived experiences of those undergoing reentry. In other words, how have advancements in technology changed the ways in which the formerly incarcerated reconnect with the outside world and how has access to various social media outlets created a platform by which individuals are able to build extended networks of social capital.

Author

• Almethia C. Franklin, University of Illinois at Chicago