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Post-prison Community Reentry and African American Males: Implications for Family Therapy and Health

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Handbook of African American Health

Abstract

African American males make up a large proportion of the US male prison population. Fortunately for the African American community and society at large, many of these men will be released back into their communities and go on to become productive citizens. Scant literature exists relative to reentry programs that exist for this population. In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the issues related to prison incarceration, its effects on African American males and community reentry. Family therapy from an Afrocentric perspective is presented as an intervention designed to strengthen family cohesion once these men are re-united with their families. Further, implications for the health of former African American male inmates, their families, and the African American community are discussed. Recommendations for encouraging African American males to seek mental health and family therapy services upon release from prison are given.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Armon R. Perry

  2. School of Social Work, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA

    Michael A. Robinson

  3. Department of Social Work, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Rudolph Alexander Jr.

  4. Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Sharon E. Moore

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  1. Armon R. Perry
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  2. Michael A. Robinson
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  3. Rudolph Alexander Jr.
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  4. Sharon E. Moore
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Correspondence to Sharon E. Moore .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, Tenth Ave. 899, New York, 10019, New York, USA

    Anthony J. Lemelle

  2. , Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State, Blacksburg, 24061, USA

    Wornie Reed

  3. , Sociology and Criminal Justice, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, 30314, Georgia, USA

    Sandra Taylor

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Perry, A.R., Robinson, M.A., Alexander, R., Moore, S.E. (2011). Post-prison Community Reentry and African American Males: Implications for Family Therapy and Health. In: Lemelle, A., Reed, W., Taylor, S. (eds) Handbook of African American Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9616-9_13

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