A conceptual model on reintegration after prison in Norway

Abstract

Purpose Many offenders struggle when attempting to reintegrate into society after release from prison, and the conditions they face after release often lead to reoffending. The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model on reintegration after prison. The model has the potential to guide practitioners in their understanding of the relationships between welfare services and the agency of the offender. Design/methodology/approach The model was developed from a small-scale study in the Norwegian Criminal Justice system, which is well known for its emphasis on rehabilitation and crime prevention. Data collection aimed to explore the reintegration process from the perspective of the hard-to-reach and vulnerable population of serial offenders. Nine prisoners in two different prisons were interviewed. A thematic analysis identified two main themes that related, first, to the personal challenges the offenders faced in the rehabilitation and reintegration process and, second, to the factors in the welfare services that interacted with the prisoners’ psychosocial issues in the reintegration process. Findings Findings suggest that the interaction between the psychosocial needs of the prisoners and the organization of the welfare services is complex and does not harmonize. The findings underpin the argument that the current reintegration strategies for certain groups of inmates need to be questioned and challenged. Research limitations/implications The model is a conceptual model intended to provide a lens from which to reinterpret offenders’ experiences of reintegration and applied to only the small and exploratory study described in this paper. As such, it requires further testing and substantiation, and the model and the study’s findings should be regarded as tentative and cannot be generalized to a larger population. The prisoners were selected by the first author for convenience, and it is possible that this also influenced the findings. Other inmates may have presented other experiences. Originality/value There are few studies looking into reintegration from the reoffenders’ perspective, and this study also presents a model that serves as a reflective and analytical tool to developing new approaches to supporting offenders in their reintegration into society from prison in the future.

The significance of interprofessional and interagency collaboration in reintegration after prison

“…The participants described the multifaceted needs of offenders, the support needed from a variety of welfare professions and agencies, and the importance of different professions and agencies collaborating to provide the necessary quality of welfare service during this vulnerable transition phase (Theme 1). These views are supported by other Norwegian studies (Friestad & Kjeldberg, 2009;Hansen, 2015;Larsen et al, 2019). Larsen et al (2019) found in their small-scale study that offenders' experiences of support from the welfare services during vulnerable periods, such as reintegration after prison, varied, both within and between services.…”

“…These views are supported by other Norwegian studies (Friestad & Kjeldberg, 2009;Hansen, 2015;Larsen et al, 2019). Larsen et al (2019) found in their small-scale study that offenders' experiences of support from the welfare services during vulnerable periods, such as reintegration after prison, varied, both within and between services. Moreover, in the Larsen et al study (2019), the offenders reported that they found themselves floundering in the gap between prison and community.…”

“…Globally, more than 30 million people are released from prison each year (UNODC, ILO, UNDP, WHO, UNAIDS, 2013), and many of these struggle with mental health problems, drug abuse, unemployment and repeated criminality (Binswanger et al, 2012;Cepeda et al, 2015;Chikadzi, 2017;Fazel & Wolf, 2015;Friestad & Kjelsberg, 2009;Larsen et al, 2019;Revold, 2015;Schinkel, 2014;United Nations Office in Drugs and Crime, 2019). Furthermore, the risk of premature mortality for offenders released from prison is substantially higher than in the general population (Kinner et al, 2013).…”

“…Several researchers have highlighted the need for collaboration in supporting offenders who are being released from prison (Clairborne & Lawson, 2005;Friestad & Kjelsberg, 2009;Larsen et al, 2019;Travis, 2005). It has been suggested that effective interprofessional collaboration is a necessity to achieve sufficient service quality in the rehabilitation process (Denton, 2014;Gisler et al, 2018;Helgensen, 2019).…”

Samordnede velferdstjenester til personer etter soning – glippsoner og broer

“…Det er imidlertid mye som tyder på at dagens velferdstjenester harmonerer dårlig med innsattes og løslattes psykososiale behov (Larsen et al, 2019). Johnsen og Fridhov (2018) og Todd-Kvam og Ugelvik (2019) poengterer at det er en stor utfordring å koordinere alle relevante tjenester for å sikre en god tilbakeføringsprosess.…”