Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Gregory Hickman

Abstract

The problem that was addressed in this study is the high cost that communities pay when African American men returning home from prison do not receive proper resources to prepare them for returning to the community and then end up reincarcerated due to criminal behavior and violations of parole or probation. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the daily lived experiences of African American men between the ages of 30 and 50 who receive real-life transitional employment with wrap-around service opportunities through reentry programs. No research was found that explored the daily experiences of those individuals who took part in these programs. The theory of inoculation was used, as it offers guidance on ways to understand how the learned behavior associated with transitional employment-based reentry programming is maintained. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design, semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with eight African American men. The data were coded using the in vivo and eclectic processes to generate themes used to answer the research question. Although many barriers and challenges were brought up throughout the interviews, participants showed great pride when describing where they are today and indicated their success was due to different elements of the program and family support. Those who work with these individuals should benefit from a better understanding of the barriers that the participants identified as well as the supports that they found beneficial to their success. This information could be incorporated into program design to continue to benefit those participating.

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