Bend, Bind, or Break? Examining the Social Ties of Formerly Incarcerated Black Men

• In Event: Behind Bars and Badges: Understanding the Role of Social Ties and Supports in Policing and Incarceration

Abstract

The carceral structure, specifically the prison and jail, serves as a significant life-course disruption, forcibly and abruptly removing individuals from friends, loved ones, and communities. Such disruptions result in a profound transformation of the social landscape, particularly for individuals upon release. Taking a qualitative approach, I deploy semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated Black men in the mid-west, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of social ties. Further, I delineate who makes up such ties and how they operate within relationships. Analysis reveals such connections encompass a range of relationships including new and sustained connections, transformative shifts in existing social ties, and the poignant experience of severed social bonds through separation, estrangement, and death. The shared narratives unveil the myriad ways confinement reverberates beyond the individual, intricately shaping the lives and experiences of families, friends, and other loved ones. These findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted nature of social ties within formerly incarcerated Black men’s lives. Further, this research challenges the interdisciplinary fields of sociology and criminology in significant ways, in part by taking up calls issued by critical scholars: to understand and uplift the experiences of those closest to and most impacted by systems of oppression.

Author

• Candice Crutchfield, The Ohio State University