Thicker than blood: Exploring the importance of carceral bonds for those formerly serving juvenile life without parole sentences

Abstract

The Montgomery vs. Louisiana ruling in 2016 on the unconstitutionality of mandatory juvenile life without the possibility of parole resulted in the resentencing of thousands of cases and the release of hundreds of individuals sentenced as youth to die in prison. Although a breadth of research has explored the consequences of long-term confinement as it relates to the effects on health, education, employment history, and familial relationships, no existing research has examined the impact of navigating and sustaining meaningful friendships during and after serving a juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentence. This novel qualitative study draws from semistructured life-history interviews (N = 30) with middle-aged men and women who served time (mean = 33 years incarcerated) under a mandatory JLWOP sentence and were later released. Using the temporal debt framework, findings reveal how the carceral setting forces temporal withdrawals from loved ones in the community, resulting in asynchrony and strain during reentry. Alternatively, the temporal deposits made to similarly situated incarcerated individuals eased the prison experience and reintegration process. The study has implications for parole policies prohibiting engagement among those with felony convictions.