Incarceration, Romantic Relationships, and the Perspectives of African American Men

Abstract

Black men are the American demographic group that is both least likely to be married and the most likely to be incarcerated. As a result, the phenomena of unprecedentedly high incarceration rates and low marriage percentages intersect in these men’s lives to provide potentially important insights about the ways in which a past criminal record affects future social arrangements and options. These insights are important because they enhance the research that has been done on this overlap in phenomena by providing the perspective of both genders. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, the truth about the effect of incarceration on romantic relationships and household structure has strong relevance for policymakers that have already identified African American romantic relationships as an issue for policy.