Bend, Bind, or Break? Examining the Social Ties of Formerly Incarcerated Black Men

ABSTRACT The carceral experience, specifically the prison and jail, serves as a significant life course disruption that abruptly removes access to friends, loved ones, and communities. Such disruptions result in a profound transformation of the social landscape even after individuals return to their communities. Drawing on an (un)linked lives theoretical framework, this study analyzes in‐depth interviews with 16 formerly incarcerated Black men to understand how social ties change after incarceration. Results show four ways that incarceration shapes Black men's social connections after release: (1) the formation of new social ties, (2) the unchanging nature of sustained ties, (3) the changing nature of sustained social ties, and (4) the loss of social ties. These findings further understandings of the complex and multifaceted nature of social connections within formerly incarcerated Black men's lives. Through a critical lens, this research advances the study of social connections and carceral consequences by pointing to how Black men are shaped by, are harmed through, and rebuild in the wake of the carceral experience.