Black Fathers and Mass Incarceration: The mental, emotional, and relational toll on the Black Family
Across the nation, men father children and become “Dad”, “Daddy”, “Pops” or some form of a more sentimental identity than father. Each one, a sacred term used by children, young and old, to express the highest degree of trust, security, and love exchanged between a father and his child. In most cultures, men are known to be the foundation of their home. Their designated order in many societies and in most religions is to be the provider, protector, and leader of their homes. However, many families go without having men who lead in the home due to incarceration or untimely loss. This is especially true when it comes to the Black community, as mass incarceration disproportionately affects people in the Black community.
Mass incarceration as a political and social conversation began in the 1970’s but really took hold of the nation with the presidency of Ronald Regan. Regan asserted that the nation should be “tough on crime” and also force fed the country the political and racially charged propaganda rooted in the “War on Drugs”, which heavily targeted the Black and Latino communities. Both prominent angles of rhetoric during his presidency caused the number of incarcerated persons to double to 627,000 within his two terms alone (Cullen, 2018). From that point in history into current time, incarceration rates of marginalized populations, especially Black men, continue to rise. The vast increase of Black men being jailed or imprisoned has taken a heavy toll on the Black community.
The Financial and Health Toll
If the dad is removed from the home, that takes away financial support to the family living there. What may not be as obvious is the trickledown effect that going from a two- income household down to one or removing the sole provider from the home has on those who are left to adjust to those life circumstances. In the best-case scenario, both parents were working in the home and there is now one income provider left in the house. If this is the predicament, the remaining provider, usually women, must take on a second job, resulting in less rest, more stress, children left alone, and often, still having insufficient funds required to meet the needs of the family. If things become too much, that individual’s overall health (physical and mental) may begin to fail. High blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and many other health issues fall into place when the responsibility of carrying a family by yourself after the incarceration of the financial contributor occurs (Gifford, 2019). And each of these health issues affects those in the Black community at alarming rates in comparison to other groups. There are some resources available to counteract financial crises, but they are often temporary and usually require a lot of time to secure; time that is usually not granted to the average person to get their affairs in order. Financial stress has the potential to cause a host of other social issues and it is not the only stressor or effect of incarcerating Black fathers.
The Emotional Toll
When parental figures are absent from the home, there is a higher potential of there being less oversight and guidance of the children that live there, which may lead to childhood trauma and poor decision making moving forward. Of the 1.5 million children in the nation with an incarcerated parent, 77% of them were children of incarcerated dads (Brown, 2021). If male inmates are given the opportunity to return to civilian life, they often bring with them traits of the toxic masculinity learned for survival as an inmate. Not recognizing the damage their inmate survival tactics placed on them, dads who were previously imprisoned often subject their children to teachings that deconstruct and override the healthy socialization they may have had.
This perpetuates stereotypic ideals in the Black community that Black men, are supposed to be tough or hard, not express any softer emotions, and promotes the need to address disrespect with violence. These few outcomes alone lead to self-isolation without self-exploration or expression, unhealthy emotional expression, developmental pauses or delays, educational disruption, and even the status of “inmate” at some point or another. According to national statistics, one-third of Black men will see the inside of a jail in their lifetime due to the lack of positive male influence in the home (Hong & Lewis, 2020). Black girls are also negatively affected by not having their father present in their lives. The children often struggle with experiencing healthy love - both internal and external. Young girls also have the increased potential to fall prey to societal tropes that frame Black women identities in the public sphere. In their formative years, it is easy for Black girls to fall in alignment with those identities, potentially resulting in emotional and mental trauma, sometimes even physical abuse (Martin, 2017).
The Relational Toll
“Incarceration damages familial relationships and stability by separating people from their support systems, disrupting continuity of families, and causing lifelong health impacts that impede families from thriving. The high cost of maintaining contact with incarcerated family members led more than one in three families (34%) into debt to pay for phone calls and visits alone. Family members who were not able to talk or visit with their loved ones regularly were much more likely to report experiencing negative health impacts related to a family member’s incarceration.” http://whopaysreport.org/key-findings/
Though often overlooked or spoken down upon due to the media’s push of the “dead-beat dad” or “absent father” stereotype, and many times from the narrative that Black women has taken on about Black men exacerbate relational dynamics and circumstances. Black men play a vital role in the family and community structures. A new narrative created by the community could invite lifting and acknowledging how Black men engage with other men in healthy familial, social, and professional ways. This allows for the exchange of ideas, creation of comradery, and increase in building relational, emotional, financial and health stability in the Black community, while reinforcing positive male to male interaction and social development.
When men can engage with one another while being their authentic self, young Black children are given permission to do the same. Black youth also learn how to engage with others while being connected with their emotions in a healthy way and how to properly cope in times of frustration, anger, sadness, or stress. Black men become fully present to their leadership and how vital they are in their families, communities, the nation, and the world!