The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which incarcerated Black males construct masculinities. Qualitative research methods are employed, and narratives from 37 males currently confined to various state and federal institutions are examined. Attention is given to understanding the dynamics of prison culture, and numerous definitions of masculinity and manhood are discussed. It is discovered that males reconstruct normative versions of masculinity to concur with resources available to them. Such resources include the use of language, the negotiation of physical space, and a shift in thinking about oneself as a responsible citizen. This finding is examined within the Black racial context of masculine identity construction, particularly in terms of the conceptual and behavioral mechanisms by which Black males define their manhood.
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