Collateral Consequences: The Impact of Incarceration on African American Fathers and Their Sons Collateral Consequences

Main Article Content

Precious Skinner-Osei, PhD, MSW
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2945-560X
Dhiny Mercedes
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8440-2557

Abstract

Throughout history, the role of African American fathers has been plagued by oppression and persecution. As predicted by Daniel Patrick Moynihan in "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," centuries of mistreatment and racism would plague African American families for generations and deem them in a constant state of despair and dysfunction. Relentless rhetoric about African American families and the father's role has been significant in the systemic degradation of African American men. The systemic oppression of African American men has led to more than 1.1 million imprisoned in the United States, and approximately 500,000 are fathers. Many of these fathers inherited their father's incarceration, and their children continue to fuel the cycle. For decades researchers linked the effects of parental incarceration to adverse childhood outcomes, including increased likelihood of imprisonment, particularly for African American males. Therefore, this study explored the impact of incarceration on African American fathers and their sons.  The data revealed four major themes: caregiving, stigma, paternal bonds, and reentry. The findings implied that specialized knowledge through a forensic social work lens might offer more comprehensive solutions by focusing on paternal relationships, long-term consequences of incarceration, and objective criteria that can assist with treatment outcomes.

Article Details

How to Cite
Skinner-Osei, P., & Mercedes, D. (2023). Collateral Consequences: The Impact of Incarceration on African American Fathers and Their Sons: Collateral Consequences. Journal of Forensic Social Work, 7(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.1936-9298.2023.7.1.1-13
Section
Articles
Author Biography

Dhiny Mercedes, Florida Atlantic University, Sandler School of Social Work

Dhiny Mercedes is an MSW student and graduate teaching assistant in the Sandler School of Social Work. He has worked in reentry in a prison in Southwest Florida since 2013. His areas of interest are reentry, employment, and family reunification.

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