Secondary Prisonization: The Effects of Involuntary Separation on Families of Incarcerated African American Men

Abstract

The analysis of this present study focuses on the impact and resiliencies of African American families due to involuntary separation of the husband/father from incarceration. This analysis studies the financial and emotional impact while also examining coping mechanisms from family support to religious involvement. It notes that the criminal justice system in the U.S. is disproportionately populated when it comes to minorities and that poor and underprivileged offenders are more likely to do more time and serve longer sentences than more affluent offenders. Thus, when the system punishes the offender, it also punishes his family. Five interviews of selected offender's wives/girlfriends were conducted to test the level of impact. Using the grounded theory of narratives, the text argues that although the studied subjects were impacted negatively, their impact was minimized with the help of family and religious support.