Generativity, legal consciousness and civic engagement among formerly incarcerated people

Imprisonment and its collateral consequences after prison typically prevent political and civic engagement. Yet, some formerly incarcerated people counter this effect through leading and participating in organizational actions to transform the carceral system. Using in-depth interviews and an insider perspective, this study analyzes how generativity is associated with forms of civic engagement among formerly incarcerated people. Among this group of participants, generative relationships during and after incarceration allowed them to develop (1) desire and commitment toward addressing the perceived collective injustices of the carceral system and (2) civic engagement practices to reconstruct collective and personal identity. This study conceptualizes civic engagement as shaped by and a form of generativity as people reconstruct their personal narrative as assets and strategize ways of changing others’ lives and the carceral system.