ABSTRACT
The carceral setting is replete with threats to inmates’ physical security, which amounts to a daily life characterized by ongoing mental and emotional trauma. Different traumas have adverse effects on individuals during reentry. Thus, it would behoove reentry scholars to anticipate ameliorating post-incarceration mental health problems by building upon the healthy coping strategies former prisoners already possess. This chapter employs a strengths-based framework by introducing and analyzing “carceral calisthenics,” a body project set within the context of penal institutions and a strength-building practice that cultivates resilience. This chapter considers the implications of “carceral calisthenics” for reentry programming as well as its connection to deeper questions related to the intentions of a transformative reentry movement.
