This proposal of research examines the process by which individuals leaving facilities of incarceration attempt to rebuild their lives outside of jails and prisons.  The study focuses on the first few months after an individual is released from incarceration; a time which can be a critical moment in the overall attempt to re-integrate into the social mainstream.  The projects hopes to provide insight into a number of important dimensions of the resettlement process, including how an individual’s geographic movements are organized, what kind of social networks they establish, and the ways in which they move through the underground economy on their path to social integration.  The goal is to develop a social and spatial picture that will help to understand how the unregulated sphere of work plays a role in the lives of formerly incarceration persons.

 

In preliminary research, the PI has discovered that many formerly incarcerated persons turn to the underground economy as a survival strategy, i.e., for quick income until a more secure job can be found.  They are simultaneously evading and avoiding mainstream social institutions, while trying to connect with them.  This puts them at a greater risk for socially illegitimate activity – for example accepting undeclared work – which is in violation of their parole and probation regulations.  Psychologically, their involvement in an underground world may depress their motivation to develop productive social connections.  For these reasons, it is important to gain an understanding of the ways in which formerly incarcerated persons move through the underground economy on their path to social integration.

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