Final Thesis on Prison Final

The Phycological Effects of Prison on the Black Community Contributes to the Lack of Emotional Intelligence Abstract United States has made significant progress in ensuring social justice for all Americans regardless of their race or color of their skin. Efforts to ensure social justice in the country have led to the establishment of measures to protect the minority groups particularly those affected by certain issues. Incarceration is a major problem among the black community in the country despite the decline in incarceration rates over the past two decades. Black people are more likely to be imprisoned and face a range of psychological challenges while in prison. The current study will investigate the results of imprisonment and the psychological factors of prison on the emotional intelligence of the black community. The methodology for the study was case study design and a qualitative analysis of historical, research, and ethnographical data about black communities affected by imprisonment. The findings showed that prison has negative psychological effects on black people in the United States. These psychological challenges led to the emotional intelligence difficulties among the racial black families in the country as well as their communities. Incarceration affects the black people disproportionately in a country where African Americans are more likely to interact with the law enforcement than any other racial group. Alternatives to incarceration such as probation and community service should be considered for non-violent crimes involving black people in the United States. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Chapter One: Introduction 4 Background 4 Research Questions 7 Statement of the Problem 7 Methodology 7 Definition of Terms 8 Delimitations 8 Significance of the Study 9 Organization of Chapters 9 Chapter Two: Literature Review 9 Incarceration of Black People 10 Emotional Intelligence and Incarceration 11 Psychological Effects of Incarceration on Black People 12 Summary of Literature Review 14 Research Gap 15 Chapter Three: Theoretical Background 15 Chapter Four: Research Design and Methodology 16 Research Design 16 Methodology 17 Table 1: Participants 17 Chapter Five: Findings and Data Analysis 18 Chapter Six: Summary of the Findings 20 Chapter Seven: Conclusions and Recommendations 20 Bibliography 21 The Phycological Effects of Prison on the Black Community Contributes to the Lack of Emotional Intelligence Chapter One: Introduction Background The incarceration rate of the blacks in the United States is higher than that of any other racial group in the country. As of 2021, there were 1,492 incarcerated blacks per 100,000 people compared to 725 Hispanic and 264 whites in the same size of the population. Prison has significant psychological effects on the offenders, their family members, and the community in general. Even after serving time in jail, black people face challenges regaining their place in the community outside prison. Incarcerated individuals spending a significant amount of time in prison lose opportunities to access education, employment, or gain wealth in the community. Additionally, it is harder for a person who has served time in prison to gain employment since their records are available to the employers. Having a criminal record is associated with significant challenges affecting the rehabilitation of individuals who have served time in prison. Consequently, the higher rate of incarceration among the blacks in the United States has significant implications on their rehabilitation into the community. The psychological effects of imprisonment affect people while they are in prison and when they complete their time after incarceration. While the incarceration rates in the United States have dropped over the past two decades, over 0.7% of the population in the country is incarcerated. The overrepresentation of black people in incarceration in the United States is a critical issue of concern for the government and the affected groups. The social and economic repercussions of incarceration continue to affect people and their families even after serving their time in correctional facilities. Therefore, the psychological effects of spending time in jail or prison is a key concern for the justice system in the country. The government agencies involved in formulating policies on correctional institutions should consider the effects of imprisonment of the communities. The psychological effects of incarceration in the United States occur in two distinct stages. First, imprisoned individuals experience emotional and psychological challenges while serving time and secondly when they are released after imprisonment. Upon release, prisoners experience reduced social status since they lose employment, attachment to family members and challenges reentering the society. The community and the government fail to provide sufficient support systems for the incarcerated persons reentering the society. For instance, the financial challenges of incarcerated persons multiply since they are unable to access formal employment opportunities. The government brands ex-felons as individuals likely to be involved in criminal behavior and this status denies people from accessing employment opportunities. While some organizations hire ex-felons, the opportunities are often insufficient and do not meet the needs of all individuals. Additionally, the wages of people who have been incarcerated is significantly lower than that of the general population. Between 2006 and 2018, the average income of individuals with a felony conviction was $7,000 lower than that of the general American population. Additionally, those who had served time in prison earned about $10,000 lower annual income compared to other Americans. The lack of opportunities for employment and lower income causes financial challenges for individuals attempting to begin life after imprisonment. Psychological challenges caused by imprisonment affect the families and communities of incarcerated individuals in the United States. The poor black males are the most likely persons to serve time in prison and their separation from families has significant impacts on the black communities. In particular, males who are the providers of their families leave a significant financial challenge for their wives, parents, children, and other family members when they go to prison. The family members depending on the incarcerated persons have to seek alternatives ways to earn income or risk losing their homes and savings. There are no sufficient systems to support black families when the bread winners are arrested and jailed in the United States. Financial distress and instability have a significant impact on the psychological welfare of the African American families and black communities. Moreover, the challenges continue after their loved ones are released from prison since they experience challenges reconnecting to the communities. The challenges faced by ex-felons such as the likelihood of re-offending and re-arrest, loss of sources of income, and emotional distress continue to affect the members of their families. Ex-felons face challenges reconnecting with their family members and causes significant psychological challenges to the communities in gener