Recent Award

Mass incarceration is a social problem in the U.S and it creates the concern of how to reintegrate a large number of former prisoners, many of whom have served lengthy sentences, back into society and back into the workforce. Even as the trend towards mass incarceration seems to be reversing, a large population of people remains who exit jails and must attempt to reenter society. Racial minorities represent a significant portion of these returning prisoners, notably African Americans and Latinos. Women also have also been affected by mass incarceration; as a result of the War on Drugs, drug felony convictions (in addition to non-violent property offenses) account for nearly 80 percent of the female inmate population (Women in Prison Project 2006). Furthermore, as scholars have demonstrated, there is a social stigma attached to a criminal record that serves to limit the job opportunities of people returning from prison, even more so, when those individuals are minorities. The successful reintegration of former prisoners is a social good that benefits all of society as it reduces the risk of future crime (and the cost of re-incarceration) and makes for a safer, less unequal society. This study is a qualitative case study of a private re-entry organization in Cleveland Ohio that will help understand the re-entry process.