THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM INCARCERATION ON WOMEN: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE RE-ENTRY JOURNEY OF FOUR LONG-TERM INCARCERATES LIVING AT A RE-ENTRY PROGRAM

The social problem under investigation was that although there had been a general rise in the number of incarcerated women in the United States, these women faced several challenges trying to re-enter society upon their release from incarceration. The purpose of this qualitative single case study research was to explore how a re-entry program, from the perspective of previously incarcerated women, attempted to integrate incarcerated women back into society. The study considered how the re-entry program could be designed to reduce recidivism in women. The research design was a qualitative case study with six data sources: individual interviews of previously incarcerated women, individual interviews with the new program director, individual interviews with a house manager, focus group interviews of previously incarcerated women, observation notes, and publicly available program documents. The data were analyzed thematically and triangulated to identify contextualized common themes: Previously incarcerated women perceived the re-entry program to assist with their needs to re-enter society, previously incarcerated women perceived the re-entry program to be helpful in maintaining their relationship with their family, previously incarcerated women perceived that the re-entry program prevented recidivism through helping them focus on studying or working, previously incarcerated women perceived that the structure of the re-entry program allowed them to experience belongingness and mutual respect, previously incarcerated women perceived that the structure of the re-entry program allowed them to experience being treated like an individual, previously incarcerated women perceived a gap in the projected and actual experience with the re-entry program, and previously incarcerated women perceived a gap in the services of the re-entry program as a result of specified contributors to the mismatch. This study enhances the literature on women’s re-entry experience by identifying multiple areas that play an important role in the reintegration process: program process, individual factors, individual motivation, and individual resourcefulness. The findings can be used to explore how women returning from long-term incarceration can address their needs and plan re-entry outcomes on their own or with indirect support