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The Experiences Of Successful Formerly Incarcerated African American Males, Bernice Gordon-Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American men are incarcerated at alarming rates and often recidivate at high rates within 3 years. Researchers have demonstrated that recidivism rates last through years 4 and beyond. There is limited qualitative data to provide strategies from formerly incarcerated African American males who have been successful at not recidivating for 10 or more years after their release. The purpose of this Afrocentric-hermeneutic phenomenological study was to bridge the gap in the literature and explore the lived experiences of African American males who were formerly incarcerated and have positively changed their lives to avoid further criminality. A purposeful and snowball …

Postsecondary Education, Self-Efficacy, And Organizational Commitment Impact On Previously Incarcerated Employee Job Satisfaction, Elizabeth Sadler Roney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A study was conducted to determine if previously incarcerated employee age, postsecondary education (PSE) attainment, prior incarceration status, and assessed self-efficacy predict job satisfaction. It also considered if organizational commitment had a moderating effect on the predictors ability to forecast the criterion. Two underlying theories considered in this study are Bandura’s social learning theory and Vroom’s expectancy theory. The obtained sample of 22 participants included seven previously incarcerated individuals. Demographic data used as predictors were employee age, PSE attainment, and prior incarceration status. Three instruments used included the New General Self-Efficacy Survey to assess self-efficacy as a predictor, the Job …

Beyond Problem-Solving Courts, Erin Collins

Law Faculty Publications

Problem-solving courts were borne out of a well-meaning experimentalist spirit, one that inspired judges to attempt to close the so-called “revolving door” to the courthouse by providing treatment instead of, or in addition to, incarceration. The problem-solving court movement is now more than thirty years old and the results of this experiment in court reform are underwhelming. Viewed in the most favorable light, studies suggest that problem-solving courts can modestly reduce the likelihood that some court participants will be arrested or convicted again. Meanwhile, the 40% to 60% of people who begin but do not complete problem-solving court programs often …

Hurt People Hurt People; Broken Systems Break People, Christopher Blackwell

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Dehumanization: The Incarcerated Experience, Antoine Davis

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Archaic Laws In A Progressive State: A Case For Emerging Adults, Aaron Edward Olson, Brock Marchel-Zerr

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The (Immediate) Future Of Prosecution, Daniel C. Richman

Faculty Scholarship

Even as others make cogent arguments for diminishing the work of prosecutors, work remains – cases that must be brought against a backdrop of existing economic inequality and structural racism and of an array of impoverished institutional alternatives. The (immediate) future of prosecution requires thoughtful engagement with these tragic circumstances, but it also will inevitably involve the co-production of sentences that deter and incapacitate. Across-the-board sentencing discounts based on such circumstances are no substitute for the thoughtful intermediation that only the courtroom working group – judges, prosecutors and defense counsel- can provide. The (immediate) future also requires prosecutors to do …

In Ny’S Prisons, People Have Started Programs To Wrestle With Their Crimes, Wyatt L. Stayner

Capstones

People inside New York prisons have started rehabilitative programs to grapple with the crimes that sent them to prison in the first place. The state doesn't create or emphasize these programs, but incarcerated people have taken the initiative to the programs and take hold of their rehabilitation.

https://www.wyattlstayner.com/programs-in-prison

A Call To Abolish Determinate-Plus Sentencing In Washington, Rachel Stenberg

Washington Law Review

For certain incarcerated individuals who commit sex offenses, Washington State’s determinate-plus sentencing structure requires a showing of rehabilitation before release. This highly subjective “releasability” determination occurs after an individual has already served a standard sentence. A review of recent releasability determinations reveals sentences are often extended on arbitrary and inconsistent grounds—especially for individuals who face systemic challenges in prison due to their identity or condition. This Comment shows that the criteria to determine whether individuals are releasable is an incomplete picture of their actual experience in the carceral setting, using the distinct example of incarcerated individuals with mental illness. While …

Expanding Judicial Discretion To Grant Compassionate Release During Covid-19, Deborah Wang

Washington Law Review

In the 1980s, Congress introduced compassionate release to counteract the increased rigidity of our federal sentencing system. This mechanism allowed courts, through a motion filed by the Bureau of Prison’s director, to reduce a prisoner’s sentence if “extraordinary and compelling” circumstances warrant such a reduction. However, because the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) seldom brought these motions, few people were released early via compassionate release. At the same time, public discourse and concerns regarding mass incarceration have continued to grow, causing lawmakers to revisit and revise compassionate release through the First Step Act of 2018 to ensure that this mechanism’s potential …

Obstacles To Proving 24-Hour Lighting Is Cruel And Unusual Under Eighth Amendment Jurisprudence, Lauren Jaech

Washington Law Review

Twenty-four-hour lighting causes sleep deprivation, depression, and other serious disorders for incarcerated individuals, yet courts often do not consider it to be cruel and unusual. To decide if prison conditions violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, courts follow a two-part inquiry that requires examining the intent of prison officials (known as the subjective prong) as well as the degree of seriousness of the alleged cruel or unusual condition (the objective prong). Incarcerated individuals often file complaints challenging 24-hour lighting conditions. Whether they succeed on these claims may depend on the circuit in which they reside. Judges …

Correctional Career Pathways: A Reentry Program For Incarceration, Taylor M. Dula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the past several decades, the United States led the world in incarceration rates. With nearly 2.3 million people being held in state or federal prisons or local jails in 2019, incarceration rates in the United States are over four times higher than in other developed countries. Disparities exist by gender, race, ethnicity, and other special populations. Males are 13 times more likely to be incarcerated than females. Additionally, black males are 5.7 times and Hispanic males are 2.8 times more likely to be incarcerated than white males. Individuals who experience incarceration have poorer mental and physical health outcomes. People …

Exploring Perceptions Of Control Within Offender Cognition And Recidivism Paradigms, Anistasha H. Lightning, Danielle Polage

Student Published Works

Elements of perceived control are associated with recidivism in offender populations. We investigated the application of locus of control to the frequency of personal involvement with the law and to beliefs surrounding the likelihood of future contact with the legal system. We hypothesized that, as the number of sentencings or legal experiences increased, locus of control would externalize. We also predicted that increased legal involvement would lead to greater belief in the likelihood of future involvement. A statistically significant path model suggests that locus of control appears to be a predictor of increased criminality, as opposed to the other way …

Law School News: Should Prison Be Abolished? 10-6-2022, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

An Algorithmic Assessment Of Parole Decisions, Hannah Lacqueur, Ryan W. Copus

Faculty Works

Objectives: Parole is an important mechanism for alleviating the extraordinary social and financial costs of mass incarceration. Yet parole boards can also present a major obstacle, denying parole to low-risk inmates who could safely be released from prison. We evaluate a major parole institution, the New York State Parole Board, quantifying the costs of suboptimal decision-making.

Methods: Using ensemble Machine Learning, we predict any arrest and any violent felony arrest within three years to generate criminal risk predictions for individuals released on parole in New York from 2012–2015. We quantify the social welfare loss of the Board’s suboptimal decisions by …

"Trying To Get Free": A Theoretical Centering Of Black Women's Post-Carceral Narratives Of Systemic Unfreedom, Geniece Crawford Mondé

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"This article examines how Black justice involved mothers navigate the enduring unfreedom of post-imprisonment life. Drawing upon the analytical framework of Black Feminist Criminology (BFC), this paper argues that centering women’s narratives of unfreedom provides a context for understanding and critiquing systemic and structural oppression. Interviews with thirty-three Black formerly incarcerated mothers from two transitional organizations in New York and Massachusetts reveals how women a) Identify instances of structural oppression at the hands of the legal system and the labor market and b) Deploy individual responses that reframe their marginal status by subverting expectations of their roles as mothers and …

Refusing Rehabilitation: Outlaw Epistemologies And The Carceral-Therapeutic State In Nyc, Nadja Eisenberg-Guyot

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

During an historic re-articulation of incarceration in New York City, Refusing Rehabilitation: Outlaw Epistemologies and the Carceral-Therapeutic State explores how gender, race, and class have been transformed at the intersection of criminal legal system reform and the overdose crisis. I take up how multiracial groups of criminalized women—thrown together by the state, not by choice—refuse forms of state control and violence, and imagine together alternative “outlaw” horizons of justice, healing, drug use, and escape from carceral-therapeutic capture. Countering the individualizing mandate of rehabilitation, women in rehab articulate visions of healing grounded in interdependence, collective safety, and an end to structural …

Rise Up Industries And The Challenge Of Reentry For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Andrew Blum

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Rise Up Industries provides reentry services and support to formerly incarcerated individuals who were previously in gangs through an intensive job training program, offered alongside a holistic set of support services. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Executive Director, Andrew Blum, provides a deeper understanding of this approach and the results it has produced to date, while situating it in the context of other initiatives focused on reentry and reducing recidivism.

This case study concludes that RUI’s reentry program is a promising approach and likely makes a small-scale contribution to solving a very hard problem – successfully fostering the reentry …

Emancipatory Nursing Praxis: Applying The Social Justice Theory To Implement Harm Reduction In Prison Substance Use Disorder, Veronica A. Holmes

Theoretical Foundation in Advanced Practice Nursing

The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Inmates suffer from chronic health conditions and substance use disorder (SUD) at a higher rate than the rest of the population yet, often do not receive sufficient medical care during incarceration. The theory of Emancipatory Nursing Praxis (ENP) calls for the integration of social justice within the profession of nursing. This theory provides a framework in which nurses can awaken and serve as agents of change, working to ameliorate issues of systemic oppression. Harm reduction refers to policies, programs, and strategies aimed at reducing the negative health, economic, …

Us Helping Us: The Evolution Of A Peer Support Group For Formerly Incarcerated People, Will Boles, Thad Tatum, Jarrod Wall, Lauren Nguyen, Alexandria Van Dall, Claire Mulhollem, Anna Sacks, Ashley Wennerstrom, Bruce Reilly, Anjali Niyogi

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Physical, psychological, and emotional trauma experienced while incarcerated influences subsequent mental health outcomes. Upon release, there is a fragmented landscape of mental health services and many of the existing services do not account for the root causes of challenges faced by formerly incarcerated people (FIP). To address the unmet social, psychological, behavioral, and emotional needs of FIP in Louisiana, the Formerly Incarcerated Peer Support (FIPS) Group developed a twelve-unit curriculum in 2019. Methods: We detail the evolution, development, and evaluation of the FIPS Group program. Additionally, we describe the community-driven process for developing the curriculum. Results: The FIPS Group …

Parental Pains Of Imprisonment: A Critical Qualitative Examination Of Reentry Into Family Life, Mitchel B. Michael

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this study is to grasp and become better informed about the experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers and fathers transitioning from correctional facilities (i.e., local jails, state & federal prisons) back into family life. Lacking in criminological literature on prisoner reentry is the intersection of parenthood and post-incarceration reintegration. Since available research often focuses on maternal and paternal reentry separately, this study encapsulates both to provide an in-depth analysis of experiences across race and gender. To gauge perspectives and experiences in-depth, this study is grounded in qualitative/triangulated methodologies. The data and findings from this study aim to assist …

The Experiences Of Older Formerly Incarcerated Adults In A Specialized Reentry Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Robin O'Hanlon, Jessica Broome

Publications and Research

A growing area of concern among prison reform advocates and human rights activists is the “greying prison population” or the continuous, unified growth in the number of older incarcerated individuals. Older individuals experience an accelerated aging process while incarcerated, but are less likely to reoffend upon release. While the aging prison population has in recent years become a focus of criminological and gerontological scholars, the lived experience of older formerly incarcerated individuals during the reentry process remains understudied. Using a qualitative approach, this cohort study seeks to further elucidate the unique needs, beliefs, and perceptions of this population within the …

Through The Cracks: The Disposition Of Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders In The Post-Asylum Era, Briana Tillman, Erin Smith, Alicia Cho, Colt Kennington, Alexandra Kreis

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This paper aims to explore current disposition options for patients with psychosis in light of shifts toward community care and changes in mental healthcare funding in the post-asylum era and to propose systemic-level improvements based upon local successes. It evaluates critiques of long-term psychiatric care programs, claims of transinstitutionalization to incarceration, shelters, and emergency rooms, and programs initiated to address deinstitutionalization. The authors conclude that while Assertive Community Treatment, Partial Hospitalization Programs, intermediate-level care, and housing interventions can improve outcomes for many persons with psychotic illness, a significant portion of these patients would still be best served in long-term psychiatric …

Utilizing Organizational Theory To Improve Education Opportunities In Correctional Facilities, Kelly Sullenberger

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

With 2.3 million people incarcerated, the United States is one of the most highly concentrated prison systems in the world (Sawyer & Wagner, 2020). In order to be in a position to improve that, the system of incarceration needs to genuinely care and invest in the lives of the inmates living in these facilities. The opportunity to receive an education is one way that allows for true rehabilitation and often can give an inmate a greater sense of purpose. This paper examines current programs in California that allow inmates to work towards and/or receive a bachelor’s degree while serving their …

Categorizing Reentry And Reintegration Efforts Across Five States, Modena Stinnette

Dissertations

An average of 12,500 individuals are released from correctional control institutions in America each week. The reentry and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into communities has become a relevant concern. This collateral damage caused by mass incarceration continues to challenge correctional institutions and community-based service providers to create better pathways for individuals returning home. Ending the collateral damage caused by mass incarceration will require a change in the way reentry and reintegration are defined, policies are created, recidivism is defined, and services are provided to individuals affected by mass incarceration. This research explores reentry and reintegration practices across five states. …

The Pathological Whiteness Of Prosecution, India Thusi

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Criminal law scholarship suffers from a Whiteness problem. While scholars appear to be increasingly concerned with the racial disparities within the criminal legal system, the scholarship’s focus tends to be on the marginalized communities and the various discriminatory outcomes they experience as a result of the system. Scholars frequently mention racial bias in the criminal legal system and mass incarceration, the lexical descendent of overcriminalization. However, the scholarship often fails to consider the roles Whiteness and White supremacy play as the underlying logics and norms driving much of the bias in the system.

This Article examines the ways that Whiteness …

Implementing A Presumption Against Imprisonment: How Scandinavian Sentencing Policies Could Be The Key To Ending Mass Incarceration In The United States, Cydney Carter

Lincoln Memorial University Law Review Archive

With the largest prison population in the world, the United States relies on incarceration more than most when it comes to sanctioning criminal offenders, but there must be another way. This paper will examine the sentencing policies and practices in the United States, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. It will also compare these sentencing policies and their impact on incarceration rates suggest ways in which the Scandinavian sentencing practices could influence changes to the current Federal Sentencing Guidelines in order to combat mass incarceration in the United States.

The Impact Of Parenting Classes On Incarcerated Mothers, Kimberly D. Phillips Dr., Kyong-Ah Kwon

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

With growing public attention to the problem of mass incarceration, many individuals want to know about the vast rise in women’s incarceration rate; particularly concerning, the increase of mothers in prison. For many mothers, the only source of hope and motivation they have while involved in the criminal justice system is the connection with their children. This article demonstrates that educational programs focusing on parenting can help incarcerated mothers renew their parental role upon release from prison. The target audience for this article includes, but is not limited to, correctional facility administrators, family counselors, educators, and anyone with an interest …

Wgss Queer Theories And Politics: A Blog Post, Cassidy Vogel

Feminist & Queer Praxis

"Political education is the practice of using knowledge for action, whether its serving and educating the community or taking personal action. This is central Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, but in Dr. Klinker’s Queer Theories and Politics (WGSS 374) students were able to engage in political education beyond the class." Winona State University (WSU) student Cassidy Vogel blog post discusses and shared their experiences engaging in political education beyond the classroom.

This blog post was intended for the WSU Academic Blog which showcases the exciting and challenging work that WSU Student do.

Alternative-To-Incarceration Programs : An In-Depth Review Of State And Federal Drug Courts, Allison Kropf

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The United States’ recent shift toward rehabilitative justice has aided in the creation of alternatives to incarceration; among these alternatives is drug treatment court. This paper studies the similarities and differences between both state and federal drug treatment courts. Using three federal programs and nine state programs – located in three states: Florida, New York, and California – as proxies, rules, regulations, and criteria are examined in order to gauge the comprehensiveness and compatibility of drug treatment courts across the U.S. It is found that drug treatment courts across both the state and federal circuits are similar to one another, …