Impacts of Incarceration on the African American Family [Paperback]

The criminal justice system has driven a wedge between black men and their children. African American men are involved in the criminal justice system, whether through incarceration, probation, or parole, at near epidemic levels. At the same time, the criminal justice system has made little or no institutional efforts to maintain or support continuing relationships between these men and their families. Consequently, African American families are harmed by this in countless ways, from the psychological, physical, and material suffering experienced by the men themselves, to losses felt by their mates, children,and extended family members.The rate at which African American men are involved in the criminal justice system, whether through incarceration, probation, or parole, is at near epidemic proportions. The effects on the African American family as a result are widespread. This volume takes a look at the impacts.Acknowledgments, Part 1: Incarceration and African American Families, 1. Various Implications of the Race to Incarcerate on Incarcerated African American Men and Their Families, 2. Incarcerated African American Fathers: Exploring Changes in Family Relationships and the Father Identity, 3. The Loss of the Protective Effects of Marital and Non-Marital Relationships of Incarcerated African American Men: Implications for Social Work, 4. The Relationship Between Inmate Visitation and Behavior: Implications for African American Families, 5. The Financial Cost of Maintaining Relationships with Incarcerated African American Men: Results from a Survey of Women Prison Visitors, 6. The Prison Cage as Home for African American Men, 7. Criminal Incarceration Dividing the Ties That Bind: Black Men and Their Families, Part 2: The Importance of Fatherhood and the Social Significance of This Issue for African American Families, 8. Behavioral Problems in Sons of Incarcerated or Otherwise Absent Fathers: The Issue of Separation, 9. The Effects of Negative Stereotypes on Africal3±