Exploring the Reentry Experiences Of Black Returning Citizens With Disabilities: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Mass incarceration has historically disproportionately affected Black and brown individuals, in addition to persons with disabilities, which has resulted in the unintended consequence of mass reentry for persons with these identities. It is estimated that over 600,000 individuals are released from federal prison or jail annually, with many reentry outcomes being heavily investigated and researched (i.e., experiences of homelessness, recidivism, familial coping and reunification, unemployment and underemployment; see Pager, 2008; Travis, 2000; Western, 2005). However, there is limited research that critically explores the interpersonal, communal, and structural factors that influence the reentry process as explained by the lived experiences of Black males with disabilities returning to their respective communities post-incarceration. Additionally, Wisconsin incarcerates its Black residents in state prisons at a rate of nearly 12 times that of its white residents (Levine, 2019; Prison Policy Initiative, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to uncover the structures that contribute to the unique reentry experiences of Black male returning citizens with disabilities in Wisconsin, employing interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, 1996).

This study extends beyond the aim of achieving sheer universality. It is more concerned with the particular distinctiveness of individuals with multiply marginalized identities, offering considerable insight into how they make sense of their reentry experience and engage with their respective communities. The findings of this study aim to co-construct and illuminate what it means to reenter society post-incarceration in the state of Wisconsin by those who are most vulnerable and susceptible to experiencing incarceration and reentry. The identified findings of this inquiry distinguish personal experiential themes across five participants that lead to seven primary, shared group experiential themes which are: (1) instilled faith guides lifestyle, (2) reentry is emotionally demanding, (3) identity reconstruction, (4) the emergence of a redemptive identity, (5) the scarcity, misalignment, and inaccessibility of reentry support resources, (6) community membership, and (7) the undermining of DOC philosophy (is destabilizing). The implications of this study are to offer new insights to researchers, professionals, and training programs, helping professional fields reimagine new possibilities and value experiences that destigmatize the reentry experiences of Black returning male citizens with disabilities through the centering of voices with lived experience in our research.