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November 6, 2025
Narrative and Identity
Discovering a “Linked Fate of the Experienced” among People Connected to Returni
Description
Through two years of focus groups, interviews, and survey results, this study assesses the impact that incarceration has on the political views and participation of those closest to individuals who have been incarcerated.
Authors
University of California, Irvine
source
The research explores the reasons why those connected to returning citizens feel demobilized from electoral participation, examining the roles played by perceptions of alienation from political and civic institutions; lack of individual or collective group agency to affect change; and increased sense of vulnerability to the carceral state. Additionally, the study explores the interrelated factors that can upend these demobilizing perceptions and propel greater political involvement among returning citizens' networks.
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