NCJ Number: 205090
Title: Less Than the Average Citizen: Stigma, Role Transition and the Civic Reintegration of Convicted Felons (From After Crime and Punishment: Pathways to Offender Reintegration, P 261-293, 2004, Shadd Maruna and Russ Immarigeon, eds. -- See NCJ-205080)
Author(s): Christopher Uggen; Jeff Manza; Angela Behrens
Date Published: 2004
Annotation: In addition to work and family, this chapter suggests that civic
reintegration is a third significant reintegrative domain for
offenders in contributing to crime desistance.
Abstract: The desire to "be productive and give something back to society"
is apparently critical to the crime-desistance process (Maruna,
2001:88). The diverse models of citizenship that have been
developed in recent years have, broadly speaking, distinguished
two central components: citizenship as a set of entitlements that
citizens acquire by virtue of membership in the polity; and
citizenship as practice, i.e., something achieved through
virtuous action or participation in the community in some way.
The obstacle to responsible citizenship by ex-offenders is the
legal restriction on both the rights and capacities of
ex-offenders to attain full citizenship. Ex-felons face
additional barriers as collateral consequences of their felony
conviction, including occupational restrictions, loss of parental
rights or standing, political disenfranchisement, and other
formal and informal social stigma. Moreover, post-release adjustment is made difficult by the abrupt discontinuity between pre-punishment and post-punishment roles and social positions. In
an effort to examine these various impediments to civic reintegration, the current student conducted 33 semistructured interviews with convicted felons in Minnesota during the spring of 2001. The interviews were undertaken as part of a larger project that examined the consequences of felon
disenfranchisement laws in the United States. Inmates, parolees,
and felony probationers were asked about their voting behavior,
their participation in political and civic life before and after
conviction, and their attitudes about crime and community. The
study found that there were experiences of barriers to
establishing or re-establishing adult roles in society due to a
felony conviction. Still, offenders were eager, if sometimes
naively optimistic, about establishing or re-establishing their roles at work, home, and in the community so as to capitalize on
"what's left" for them in each of these domains. Currently,
communities are ill-prepared to accept felons as fellow citizens
who have a significant positive contribution to make to a
community's life. The felons interviewed needed assistance or
anticipatory socialization to translate their idealized
identities as law-abiding but imperfect citizens. Creating
avenues of community participation that reinforce, rather than
limit, citizenship appears likely to enhance the possibilities of
successful reintegration. 49 references
Main Term(s): Criminology
Index Term(s): Community involvement; Ex-offender employment; Ex-offenders rights; Social reintegration
Grant Number: 9819015;
Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
Sale Source: Willan Publishing
Publisher: http://www.isbs.com
Page Count: 33
Format: Book (Softbound)
Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
Language: English
Country: United States of America
To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=205090
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