Success Beyond Prison Walls: A Qualitative Study on the Successful Reentry of the Formerly Incarcerated

• Main Author: Moore, Demi L
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2023
• Subjects: Criminology; Law; Sociology
• ISBN: 9798379512392

It is no secret that the United States has the highest incarceration rate globally, attributing to the inability of justice-involved individuals to take part successfully in or rejoin society (Prison Policy Initiative, 2023). Justice-involved individuals are often released without the tools to participate successfully in society (United States Department of Justice, 2017). This study examined the reentry process of formerly incarcerated individuals who have successfully reintegrated into society. It intends to discover the need for programs and service developments to better support individuals as they exit prison and seek successful reentry. This study followed a qualitative method that employed semi-structured interviews with 25 formerly incarcerated individuals. The semi-structured interviews were guided by an original interview protocol created for this study. Thematic analysis was used to discover compelling narratives and conceptualize themes and subthemes from the participant interviews. Qualitative thematic results indicated that social relationships and religious beliefs are the critical support systems most helpful during reentry. Both themes include multiple subthemes. This study also found that among the need for innovative programs and service developments, three themes were narratively described as community engagement, institutional and justice system improvements, and barriers, challenges, denials, and discrimination impeding reentry. Finally, participants defined what a successful reentry means through their lived experience in prison and after release, self-perception, and personal definition. The results, interpretations, and implications for future research are discussed.