Punishment Beyond Bars: Pursuing Higher Education with the Mark of Incarceration
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program through the U.S. Department of Education under Award No. P217A170273.
Abstract
The phenomenon of mass incarceration holds over 2 million people in penal institutions throughout the United States. The slogan of the American criminal justice system is to rehabilitate and release. With such a slogan, the system is expected to help incarcerated individuals, during their time inside, to overcome the issues behind the offense for which they were convicted. Yet, incarcerated individuals are mistreated at much higher rates than they are rehabilitated or cared for. This research critically analyzes how the system’s concentration on retribution affects the ability of formerly-incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society. The positive effects of college on these individuals is clear, yet a dearth of research remains on the specific experiences of formerly-incarcerated college students on and off campus. Despite recent research that concludes individuals with a conviction history and incarceration experience “enrich institutions of higher education,” (Halkovic and Greene, 2015) they continue to confront many unique barriers to pursuing higher education. This research employs qualitative data collected through interviews to analyze how the criminalization of these college students affects their ability to progressively navigate their lives as citizens and students.
Punishment Beyond Bars: Pursuing Higher Education with the Mark of Incarceration
The phenomenon of mass incarceration holds over 2 million people in penal institutions throughout the United States. The slogan of the American criminal justice system is to rehabilitate and release. With such a slogan, the system is expected to help incarcerated individuals, during their time inside, to overcome the issues behind the offense for which they were convicted. Yet, incarcerated individuals are mistreated at much higher rates than they are rehabilitated or cared for. This research critically analyzes how the system’s concentration on retribution affects the ability of formerly-incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society. The positive effects of college on these individuals is clear, yet a dearth of research remains on the specific experiences of formerly-incarcerated college students on and off campus. Despite recent research that concludes individuals with a conviction history and incarceration experience “enrich institutions of higher education,” (Halkovic and Greene, 2015) they continue to confront many unique barriers to pursuing higher education. This research employs qualitative data collected through interviews to analyze how the criminalization of these college students affects their ability to progressively navigate their lives as citizens and students.
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