Ph.D., Antioch University, 2014, Leadership and Change

The United States of America has more than 2.3 million persons incarcerated in state and federal prisons. In 2011 more than 700,000 prisoners were released from prisons back into the communities, mostly urban, from where they came. Upon their attempt to reenter society, persons released from prison are faced with overwhelming odds threatening their successful reentry at every critical element necessary for life and wellbeing—food, housing, health care, treatment for drug addictions, employment, counseling, family support and close personal relationships. This research reflects the voices of African American men who tell their personal stories of criminal life, imprisonment, recidivism, and the point at which they turned from crime to desisting—breaking the cycle of recidivism. African American Men Who Give Voice to the Personal Transition from Criminality to Desistance discusses the attractions of criminal life, challenges to desisting and finally making it through society’s unforgiving social, economic and political gauntlet. Narrative is story and narrative inquiry is a way to understanding and valuing lived experiences through story. Narrative inquiry methodology is the qualitative methodology used in reflecting the stories as voiced by the participants in this study. This dissertation is accompanied by 16 MP4 video files and a Dissertation Summary [PDF]. Six of the MP4 files are embedded in the Dissertation PDF and 10 are embedded in the Dissertation Summary. All are accessible as supplemental files. The electronic version of this dissertation is at AURA http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Committee: Carolyn Kenny PhD (Committee Chair); Annie E. Booysen DBL (Committee Member); Aretha F. Marbley PhD (Other) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Criminology; Social Psychology; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2009, History

This dissertation examines the captivity of the American soldier during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The plethora of fine works that exist about the experiences of Civil War captives have focused their attention on the harshness of prison life, the resulting casualties, and the need to assign blame. This dissertation takes another approach. Instead, it examines how prisoners of war in both the North and South adapted and made the best of a restrictive and harsh environment. The study shows that prison life, in despite of its trauma and suffering, included the rudiments of an American community. This dissertation also examines the positive aspects of the prison experience. Many captives accepted the reality of the circumstances and set out to make the best of their situation. They used their values to engineer a culture of captivity that made imprisonment endurable and survival possible. The adoption of this culture among Civil War prisoners of war is hardly surprising. The Civil War generation came to war equipped with habits and traditions that made captivity sustainable. These traits did not disappear when the combat soldier relinquished his weapon and commenced the journey into captivity. If anything, the stressful nature of imprisonment pushed these habits underground briefly, forcing the prisoners to reshape them in original ways. Thus, this work interprets captivity as a transforming experience.

Committee: Joan Cashin (Committee Chair); Warren VanTine (Committee Member); C. Mark Grimsley (Committee Member) Subjects: American History