Father or Felon: Using Identity Theory to Conceptualize and Confront the Challenges of Community Re-entry for Incarcerated African American Men
Approximately 650,000 individuals are released annually from prison. Two-thirds (67.8%) will return to prison, rearrested within three years (Travis & Waul, 2003). Slightly more than 50 percent of all state and federal inmates are parents; 92 percent are fathers (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009). The men chronicled in this presentation were transitioning inmates and fathers who were required to participate in the Abba Fathers Support Group. Discussion will center on their challenges and offer insights regarding father-felon role-ambiguity, “felonism,” “baby mama drama,” “porch daddy,” and “sizzle sessions.”
Parris J. Baker, PhD., MSSA, Associate Professor and Director, Social Work, Mortuary Science, and Gerontology Programs, Department of Criminal Justice & Social Work, Gannon University. He received his undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in social work from Gannon University, Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work, respectively. In 2011, Dr. Baker became the first African American tenured professor at Gannon University. He most recently became a Jefferson Education Society Scholar-In-Residence and Harry T. Burleigh and Beyond Fellow.
