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The Invisible War: a Portrait of Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Life of a Formerly Incarcerated U.S

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The Invisible War: a Portrait of Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Life of a Formerly Incarcerated U.S Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University African-American Studies Theses Department of African-American Studies 8-8-2017 The Invisible War: A Portrait Of Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Life of a Formerly Incarcerated U.S. Born Africana Man Tarell C. Kyles GSU Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/aas_theses Recommended Citation Kyles, Tarell C., "The Invisible War: A Portrait Of Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Life of a Formerly Incarcerated U.S. Born Africana Man." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2017. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/aas_theses/44 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of African-American Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in African-American Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE INVISIBLE WAR A PORTRAIT OF STRUCTURAL RACISM AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LIFE OF A FORMERLY INCARCERATED U.S. BORN AFRICANA MAN by TARELL KYLES Under the Direction of Makungu Akinyela PhD ABSTRACT This study examines the ways in which a formerly incarcerated U.S. born Africana man age 47 perceives, interprets, and copes with being criminalized and disenfranchised by interacting institutions which support white domination and black subordination. The focal point of inquiry is an analysis of the reverberating mental health impacts of structural racism via the criminal justice system. Utilizing portraiture and person-environment fit theory, this study presents a multivocal portrait of a man, his life, his family, and his community impacted by the stress/strain of navigating environments characterized by structural racism and inequality. The study seeks to add to the relevant bodies of knowledge a more nuanced and contextual examination of the negative mental health impacts of structural racism via the criminal justice system, which will inform policy and advocacy issues, as well as future interventions designed to empower historically marginalized populations in the U.S. INDEX WORDS: New Jim Crow, Incarceration, Mental health, Systemic Racism, Critical race theory, Portraiture THE INVISIBLE WAR A PORTRAIT OF STRUCTURAL RACISM AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LIFE OF A FORMERLY INCARCERATED U.S. BORN AFRICANA MAN by TARELL KYLES A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts In the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2017 Copyright by Tarell Kyles 2017 THE INVISIBLE WAR A PORTRAIT OF STRUCTURAL RACISM AND MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LIFE OF A FORMERLY INCARCERATED U.S. BORN AFRICANA MAN by TARELL KYLES Committee Chair: Makungu Akinyela Committee: Sarita Davis Brian McGregor Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University August 2017 iv DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my beautiful fiancé, Shamora Barnard, and our wonderful son Jayden. This work is also dedicated to the many U.S. born Africana families and communities where minds, bodies, and spirits still too often become collateral damage in The Invisible War. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to the Africana Studies department at GSU. Thank you to those that fought for our space to exist. May it remain a place where great scholar-activists can be forged. A special thank you to my elders, to those who have guided me, pushed me, and challenged me. Dr. Anthony Hatch, Dr. Michael Smanga, Dr. Sarita K. Davis, Dr. Makungu Akinyela, Dr. Brian McGregor, Sandra Barnhill, Dr. Jonathan Gayles, and Dr. Akinyele Omuwale Umoja. Thank you for aiding me in asking the right questions. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Problem Statement............................................................................................ 7 1.3 Purpose............................................................................................................. 11 1.4 Research Design .............................................................................................. 12 1.5 Significance of the Study ................................................................................ 14 1.6 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................... 16 1.7 Research Questions ......................................................................................... 17 1.8 Theory .............................................................................................................. 19 1.9 Definitions ........................................................................................................ 21 1.10 Assumptions..................................................................................................... 23 1.11 Scope, Limitations, Delimitations .................................................................. 23 1.12 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 24 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 25 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 25 2.2 The Legacy of racialized criminal justice policy: historical overview and current findings ....................................................................................................................... 28 vii 2.3 Racism and Mental Health: Historical Overview and Current Findings . 36 2.4 Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 39 2.5 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 40 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................. 41 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 41 3.2 Research Method and Design Appropriateness ........................................... 42 3.3 Population ........................................................................................................ 48 3.4 Sampling .......................................................................................................... 48 3.5 Data Collection Procedures and Rationale ................................................... 50 3.6 Instrument Selection Appropriateness ......................................................... 52 3.7 Reliability ......................................................................................................... 54 3.8 Validity ............................................................................................................. 54 3.9 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 55 3.10 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 56 4 FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 58 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 58 4.2 Data Collection ................................................................................................ 59 4.3 Data Analysis ................................................................................................... 59 4.4 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 118 5 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................ 118 viii 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 118 5.2 Race, Structural Racism, Perception, and Reality..................................... 118 5.3 Race and Criminality .................................................................................... 124 5.4 The invisible War Made Visible .................................................................. 125 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 129 APPENDICIES .......................................................................................................... 139 Appendix A Consent Form ....................................................................................... 139 Appendix B Social Life Maps ................................................................................... 142 1 INTRODUCTION Overview Though overtly racist behavior can still be observed and experienced in the U.S., structural racism is less about individual behavior and more about the totality of social structures, institutions, including ideological and philosophical constructs and assumptions, that enforce white domination and U.S. born Africana subordination.
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