This dissertation sits at the intersection of religion and incarceration in the U.S. and consists of two parts. The first part examines pathways to Islamic conversion among formerly incarcerated African American men in Chicago and the meanings attached to the conversion process. The second part compares how these Islamic converts fare in the reentry process compared to both formerly incarcerated Muslim-born and Christian-born African American men. While assessing how conversion while incarcerated impacts reentry outcomes for African American Muslim converts, this dissertation also investigates how these individuals make sense of their newly acquired religious identity and juggle multiple marginalized identities.