Date of Defense
Fall 10-29-2018
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ)
Department
Sociology and Criminal Justice
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Tanja Link
Committee Member
Dr. Beverly Crank
Committee Member
Dr. Evelina Sterling
Abstract
African American women have a history of being overlooked in the criminal justice system. Despite this, they are disproportionately represented within prisons in the United States. By acknowledging the disadvantages that African American women face, being at the intersectionality of race and gender, it is important that we understand how different factors of society may impact them differently. In addition to African American women being overlooked in the Criminal Justice System, reentry plays a vital role in understanding incarceration and how it impacts criminal justice involved individuals. It is important that the Criminal Justice System is providing criminal justice involved individuals with the necessary programs to ensure that they are successfully reentering and not falling into an endless cycle of crime. This study examines successful reentry of African American women through a series of interviews in order to analyze differences or similarities with existing literature. The goal of this study is to better understand the reentry process of an overlooked demographic and add to existing literature.