Dissertation Research: Social Costs of Incarceration

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In recent years a large proportion of minority males have experienced direct involvement with the criminal justice system. This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from Yale University, studying the social costs of incarceration in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC, where over 40% of the black men are estimated to be under some form of correctional supervision-parole, probation, drug rehabilitation, etc., on any given day. The project will study the effects of the prison incarceration of young minority males on their own reinvolvement in the community after their release, and on their families, while they are in custody and after they come out. In addition the study will analyze the local discourse on race and local perceptions of the morality of the criminal justice system. The method will be general participant observation in the neighborhood as well as formal interviews with local police, lawyers, ministers, public officials and residents. A set of interviews will be conducted with families with no experience with the criminal justice system as well as those with currently incarcerated members. The student will focus on resource sharing and networks of support of the families as they cope with the absence of a member. This research is important because it will advance our understanding of the effects of increased incarceration rates in inner city neighborhoods. The new information will be valuable to policy makers trying to ameliorate the negative impact of incarceration on households and communities.