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Concerns and Coping Strategies of Women Inmates Concerning Release: "It's Going to Take Somebody in My Corner"

NCJ Number
205881
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 38 Issue: 4 Dated: 2004 Pages: 73-97
Author(s)
Theresa A. Severance
Date Published
2004
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study solicited female inmates' accounts of their concerns and plans for release from prison, so as to develop a better understanding of the process of reintegration.
Abstract
Study participants were 40 adult female inmates in the Ohio Reformatory for Women, which houses all security levels of female inmates. Inmates from the three groups of admissions, general population, and prerelease were included in the study. Data collection was done with open-ended, unstructured interviews that lasted between 1/2 and 2 hours. Inmates were guided into substantive topic areas that included personal background, perceptions of prison experiences, and expectations for release. Content analysis of the interviews developed themes. Inmates were generally concerned about basic survival needs upon release and reentry into the community. These included income sources and amounts, types of employment, and housing. Other concerns were relapse and recidivism, relationships with children, and community acceptance. Successful reintegration and the mitigation of inmate anxiety about reentry requires thorough preparation for the various survival and adjustment issues confronting ex-offenders and their families. Short-term survival assistance and long-term assistance in employment and substance abuse treatment should begin long before release and after release. 1 table and 31 references

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