Imagined Freedom: Understanding The Violence of Structural Vulnerability Among Formerly Incarcerated Black Men

Abstract

In the U.S., formerly incarcerated populations are subject to extreme forms of vulnerability and violence, especially among Black individuals. Between the high rates of recidivism after release, the high risk of death among very recently released individuals, and the blatant discrimination and systemic barriers to basic needs and aspects of life that afflict formerly incarcerated people, it is evident that post-incarceration is a state of being engulfed by a susceptibility to harm, ill health, and suffering. This thesis argues that in order to understand how the inequities and vulnerabilities of formerly incarcerated Black men result in a deterioration to their health and well-being, the concept of structural vulnerability must be utilized as a framework through which their lived realities can be understood. By conducting interviews and participant observation with formerly incarcerated Black men at a community organization in Trenton, New Jersey, called The Father Center of New Jersey, in addition to analyzing existing literature on post-carceral health and well-being, I found that stigma, the disabling effects of incarceration and post-incarceration, and the expectations of masculinity greatly shape the health and well-being of these men, providing a unique perspective for thinking about how policy can be implemented or improved to support these individuals and reduce the vulnerabilities/harms they experience.