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Prison, Parents, and Partners: How Criminalization Shapes Family Relationships

Sat, Nov 17, 9:30 to 10:50am, Marriott, M108, Marquis Level

Abstract

Researchers have long observed that incarceration shapes the lives of criminalized people even after they have been released from prison; affecting labor market success, housing security, health outcomes, and other life chances. The literature has also documented the impact of parental incarceration on children, illustrating the generational consequences of mass incarceration. Less work, however, examines how the experience of criminalization shapes both parenting and partnering in the context of prisoner reentry. This paper uses interviews with 47 formerly incarcerated men to uncover the link between criminal justice contact, family relationships, and conceptions of masculinity that help to structure family life in urban, disproportionately incarcerated communities. I argue that having been formally criminalized, formerly incarcerated men actively re-envision their relationships with partners, parents, and children to better reflect the experiences and embedded knowledge they have gained through contact with the criminal justice system.

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