African American Men Who Give Voice to the Personal Transition from Criminality to Desistance

The United States of America has more than 2.3 million persons incarcerated in state and federal prisons.In 2011 more than 700,000 prisoners were released from prisons back into the communities, mostly urban, from where they came.Upon their attempt to reenter society, persons released from prison are faced with overwhelming odds threatening their successful reentry at every critical element necessary for life and wellbeing—food, housing, health care, treatment for drug addictions, employment, counseling, family support and close personal relationships.This research reflects the voices of African American men who tell their personal stories of criminal life, imprisonment, recidivism, and the point at which they turned from crime to desisting—breaking the cycle of recidivism.African American Men Who Give Voice to the Personal Transition from Criminality to Desistance discusses the attractions of criminal life, challenges to desisting and finally making it through society’s unforgiving social, economic and political gauntlet. Narrative is story and narrative inquiry is a way to understanding and valuing lived experiences through story. Narrative inquiry methodology is the qualitative methodology used in reflecting the stories as voiced by the participants in this study. This dissertation is accompanied by 16 MP4 video files and a Dissertation Summary [PDF]. Six of the MP4 files are embedded in the Dissertation PDF and 10 are embedded in the Dissertation Summary. All are accessible as supplemental files. The electronic version of this dissertation is at AURA http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/et