The 20th century American war on drugs dramatically affected African American inner-city neighborhoods and families, and many within these communities saw more signs of vindictiveness than reconstruction in the aftermath of the conflict. This article considers the dilemma that the erosion of state capital and the formation of negative social capital poses for the return of incarcerated parents into these communities and families. It examines new Federal family welfare legislation as indicative of State disinvestments in these families. The article claims that the challenge to the rights of incarcerated parents when they return to society is part of a larger movement that extends punitive penal policies beyond prison walls. It concludes that, as individuals lose fundamental rights of citizenship, the community itself threatens to become more like a prison, with social workers and parole officers serving like prison guards in their increasing surveillance and monitoring roles. The article suggests directions for research on more constructive policies and procedures regarding the reentry of persons released from prison. References