UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item MOTHERING AFTER INCARCERATION: REENTRY AND RENEGOTIATING MOTHERHOOD(2017) Hall, Casey Lauren; Freidenberg, Judith Noemi; Butler, Mary Odell; Anthropology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the wake of mass incarceration, there has been an unprecedented increase in the incarceration of women in the United States. The majority of incarcerated women are mothers, whose absence causes a significant disruption in family life. While research has demonstrated the negative impact of maternal incarceration on women and their children, much remains to be learned about women’s return to the community and in to family life upon reentry. The purpose of the research, conducted in the District of Columbia (2015-2016), was to explore the lived experience of mothering after incarceration, the role of motherhood on women’s experiences of prison to community reentry, and the impact of incarceration and reentry on women’s roles as mothers. Sources of data for this study include life history interviews with formerly incarcerate mothers, interviews with community stakeholders such as community service providers and criminal justice professionals, participant observation at relevant service organizations and community events, and archival data. This research design allowed for an examination of the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers, as well as the social and structural context within which they mother their children, and in which they attempt to gain access to resources to rebuild their lives after incarceration. The research produced case studies that highlight the structural, institutional, and social factors that shape the lives of incarcerated women, including their sense of motherhood and how these factors affect the practice of mothering for women who become involved in the criminal justice system. The findings reveal the ways women attempt to mother their children as they struggle within and against difficult social positions, and how kinship ties are challenged, made, and remade as a result of a mother’s incarceration. The findings contribute to the anthropology of mothering, and underscore emergent roles of kinship, both biological and fictive, in the practice of mothering and experiences of prison and reentry for women who become involved in the criminal justice system. The experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers has implications for broader understandings of motherhood and mothering as dynamic, contextual processes, structured by the conditions in which women mother their children.Item Incarceration and Partner Relationships: A Qualitative Analysis of Men's Perceptions of Social Support(2007-05-07) McDowell, April; Roy, Kevin; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Incarceration impacts families in a number of different ways ranging from emotional distress, economic challenges, and social stigma. The purpose of this analysis was to explore how men's perceptions of support from their partners during incarceration and community reentry shape intimate partnerships. Using secondary data content analysis, a sample of 20 fathers from the Fathers and Families Resource and Research Center study dataset has been examined (Roy, 2002-2004). Using family stress theory and symbolic interactionism, qualitative methods were used to examine life history interviews. Interviews were coded for themes related to past incarceration, intimate partnerships, and social support. Overall, men reported feeling supported in their roles as partners across their relationship trajectories and support shifted occurred from their roles as romantic partners to their roles as co-parents. Community reentry was an especially significant time that support mattered due to the recommitments that many made to fatherhood during this process.Item How Incarceration Affects Juveniles: A Focus on the Changes in Frequency and Prevalence of Criminal Activity(2005-05-27) Giguere, Rachelle Marie; Bushway, Shawn D; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There has been a longstanding debate over the effectiveness of correctional institutions. Some argue that incarceration deters offenders while others argue that the experience of being incarcerated causes individuals to continue in their life of crime. Resolving this debate is of particular importance for young individuals when there is a national push for the increased treatment of youth as adults. Using NLSY panel data, this study focuses on how the criminal offending of a sample of incarcerated youth changes over time in relation to incarceration while including a control group of youth who are not incarcerated but are similar in demographics. Close attention is paid to overcome past problems with validity. The findings suggest that incarceration does little to stop criminal paths or future contacts with the criminal justice system, but perhaps may even have harmful effects on youth, particularly drug sellers, over the short term.