Date of Conferral

11-11-2025

Date of Award

November 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Gregory Hickman

Abstract

The school-to-prison pipeline, where minority men experience decreased academic performance, higher truancy rates, and increased vulnerability to arrest, persists in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how systemic racism is experienced by formerly incarcerated, college-educated Black men who were criminalized for behavioral issues that contributed to their incarceration. The research problem was a lack of knowledge of the experiences of educational environments and disciplinary systems that perpetuate racialized behavioral labeling and contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline. Grounded in the theoretical framework of institutional racism, the study featured a constructivist paradigm to capture participants' experiences. Data were collected through five, one-on-one Zoom interviews with purposefully selected participants who met the criteria of being formerly incarcerated and college-educated, Black men. Through thematic analysis in the tradition of Braun and Clarke, four main themes were identified: education and resilience to empowerment and transformation; educational environments as pathways to criminalization; microaggressions, discriminatory practices, and psychological harm; and systemic racism and structural barriers throughout the lifetime. The implications for positive social change include providing insight that stakeholders can potentially use to embed literacy and advocacy development in reentry and campus programs and advance policies to reduce perpetual punishment. The research supports the transformative role of education in providing opportunities to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline, empowering individuals to become advocates for systemic change.

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