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Brick Walls Facing Reentering Offenders

NCJ Number
212783
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2005 Pages: 5-18
Author(s)
Faye S. Taxman
Date Published
2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper presents some of the sociopolitical challenges to the citizenship goal for offenders and provides some options to create an environment in which the offender can be successful and maintain a positive role as a citizen.
Abstract
Citizenship for an offender returning from prison and jail is fulfilled when the offender is an active member of the civil society, such as a parent or a sibling. A formula is needed for assisting offenders in achieving and identifying with the citizenship role, minimizing the identification and subscription to the outcast persona, and fulfilling the goals of reintegration. This begins by reviewing some of the factors that perpetuate the offender’s role as an outcast. It then examines the influence of law enforcement and the community and presents some concepts for how social institutions can foster the offender’s acquisition of a citizenship role in society and assist the offender in discarding the outcast persona. By capitalizing on the offender’s natural tendency to identify with a citizen role upon release, it is necessary to remove the obstacles that offenders face when trying to maintain their optimism. References