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Chapter 6 Life After Incarceration Exploring Identity in Reentry Programs for Women Nikki H. Nichols Since the 1990s, women have represented the fastest-growing prison population in the United States (United States Department of Justice, 2009). High incarceration rates for women are troubling enough, but what happens once they serve their time behind bars? This chapter, based upon in-depth interviews with formerly incarcerated women, investigates the impact of incarceration on women’s identities and explores what happens in their lives after prison. During the interviews, participants offered insights about their identities before, during, and after spending time in prison and revealed the challenges of creating new lives when they are released. The evidence in this study suggests complex layers of identity that defy the unidimensional stigma of “convict” or “felon” that is often imposed on women who have been incarcerated . The women’s personal stories convey their perceptions of themselves, their perceptions of how they are viewed by society, and the kinds of resources they need for a successful return to their communities. Thus, in addition to contributing to a more complex understanding of the ways women express and experience their identities after release from prison, this study offers suggestions for transitional programs to better assist women leaving prison in successfully rejoining the communities. I begin by discussing the challenges women who have been incarcerated face when they leave prison. I then present the research questions and methodology that framed the in-depth interviews I conducted with women in two transitional programs during 2008 and 2009. Next, I explore the identity themes that emerge from the interviews as well as specific needs the women identified as they made their transitions from prison. In the final section, I explore strategies for enhancing the success of women’s post-prison experiences. 124 Nikki H. Nichols Challenges Facing Women After Incarceration Seventy-seven percent of state prisoners are released from prison and return to our communities (Council of State Government Justice Center, 2009). More than 729,200 people were released from federal and state prison in 2009 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011). The average age for a prisoner in the United States is thirty-nine (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2012). While all people who have been incarcerated face enormous obstacles as they begin their journey back to society, formerly incarcerated women often face additional challenges. For instance, most female prisoners have experienced physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse and were first abused between the ages of five and fourteen. This abuse is most often sexual abuse perpetrated by a male member of the immediate family (Fletcher, Rolison, & Moon, 1993). In a study of women incarcerated in the Ohio prison system, approximately 95 percent of the 436-person sample reported a history of either physical or sexual abuse (McDaniels-Wilson, 1998). Additionally, substance abuse is a great concern for women leaving prison. As Fletcher, Rolison, and Moon (1993) note, most female prisoners begin using drugs or alcohol by the time they are thirteen or fourteen years old. Substance abuse, imprisonment, and recidivism are closely linked (Benda & Pallone, 2005; Owen, 1998). In a study by Schram et al. (2006), 38 percent of the women surveyed reported needing assistance with substance addiction. As these statistics suggest, treatment for substance abuse is crucial in reentry programs for women leaving prison. In addition, approximately four out of five incarcerated women are mothers (Harm, 1992), and two-thirds of mothers in prison have children under the age of eighteen (Snell, 1994). Women who live behind bars have the unfortunate experience of being separated from their children (Greene, Haney, & Hurtado, 2000; Mumola, 2000; O’Brien, 2001). Prisoners who are mothers have the added pressure of worrying about their children and living with limited contact with them while they are in prison. In addition, as Burkhardt (1976) notes, many incarcerated mothers can be labeled “bad mothers,” which intensifies the pain of being separated from their children. Motherhood is also an important concern for many women upon release from prison. Greene, Haney, and Hurtado (2000) document the desperation of mothers wanting to be reunited with their children when they leave prison. The women reported being “good mothers and were determined to overcome the consequences of their traumatic experience and eventually provide homes for their children” (p. 15). These scholars highlight the importance of focusing on motherhood in reentry programs for women, citing the cycles of pain experienced by mothers and how this pain is being passed on to their children. Moreover, O...

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