Colour me father: Lived experiences of incarcerated fathers in northern British Columbia.

The purpose of my thesis was to seek answers to the main research question: What is the lived experience of incarcerated fathers in northern British Columbia? My research sample consisted of seven fathers who were clients of the Northern John Howard Society. The approach used in my research is qualitative and the specific methodology is critical hermeneutical phenomenology. Data analysis involved two methods: critical hermeneutical phenomenology and metaphorical. The literature review critiques historical ideologies inherent in the history of fatherhood and penal history. Findings show that incarcerated fathers care deeply about their children and seek to change their behaviours to further paternal relationships with their children. Implications for the profession of social work include the development of specific interventions and recommendations for the reinstatement of inmate rehabilitation. --P. ii.