Unlocking peer-mentorship outcomes of formerly incarcerated Black males within prison education: A qualitative study

This dissertation delves into the foundational elements of attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief in the lives of Black males in America, particularly those who have experienced incarceration. Prison programming has been providing incarcerated individuals the opportunity to positively affect their prison sentence by reducing idle time and potentially navigating towards a successful transition post incarceration. Prior research has determined that prison educational programming is an important part of an incarcerated person’s carceral experience (Thomas & Grosholz, 2022). However, there is little research that explores how individuals with life sentences aid in the healing, restoration, and overall education attainment of individuals who are serving shorter sentences. Focusing on the transformative potential of prison education and programming and mentorship, this research explores how social bonds within carceral spaces promotes self-healing, restoration, and education of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black men. The prison system of the United States has been a complex site as it relates to social interactions, especially among Black men. In these environments, older Black males who have been charged with crimes attached with life sentences, often subscribe to leader roles within the prison. Especially, roles of mentorship for younger inmates serving shorter sentences. The bonds and relationships formed are not taken lightly, and can further shape the psychological healing, restoration, and even encourage educational attainment for the younger incarcerated Black males. With this, there is a need to further analyze and understand how these relationships influence the greater charge of rehabilitation and reducing recidivism amongst Black males. America’s alarming statistics that highlight the disproportionate incarceration rates of Black Americans, specifically Black men, emphasize the dire need of a reimagination of the criminal justice system. Despite the challenges that Black men face within the criminal justice system, there has been an encouraging trend of declining rates of the incarceration of people of color. The reason for this trend could pertain to shifts in crime patterns or a focus on prison rehabilitation and education. The purpose of this research aims to address two primary research questions: RQ1: How do formerly incarcerated Black males perceive the role of Lifers in their healing and restoration? RQ2: How do formerly incarcerated Black males perceive the role of Lifers in the promotion of education? Through utilizing Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory, this research will comprehensively analyze the four components of attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief in the self-healing, restoration, and the promotion of education of Black men who have been incarcerated. The goals of the findings could give insight and emphasize the access to mentorship and education to empower justice-impacted Black men.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Sellers, Essie T.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hood, Denice W
• Hood, Denise
• Pak, Yoon
• Span, Christopher
• Mason, Curtis

• Diversity
• Incarceration
• Qualitative
• Black Men
• Social Bond Theory
• Prison Education
• Programming
• Networks
• Social Bonds
• Attachment
• Peer Mentorship
• Restoration
• Rehabilitation

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Essie Sellers

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127262

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127262