Pains of Reentry Revisited

Abstract

Based on an ethnographic study with 58 participants released from a Romanian prison, this study revisits the pains of release and illustrates the complexity of the reentry process. Some of the pains of reentry seem universal while others seem to be context dependent. In the same time, some pains of release are personal, others social, while others are structural. Concepts of intersectionality and the multi-level model of reentry are discussed, and further suggestions for research are advanced.

The pains of release: Federally-sentenced women’s experiences on parole

“…Upon conditional release from prison, women may experience a multitude of sudden changes in their environment and social realities, as noted in previous studies of male releasees (e.g. Caputo-Levine, 2013; Durnescu, 2019; Martin, 2018). Re-entry into the outside world requires not only adjustment to outside norms, routines, and distinct temporal and sensory orientations, but also an array of new practical responsibilities related to social, financial, legal, and health matters.…”

“…With key exceptions, the pains of release (Durnescu, 2011, 2019; Nugent and Schinkel, 2016; Shantz and Frigon, 2009; Semenza and Link, 2019) have consistently received less analytical attention relative to the pains associated with incarceration, particularly in the case of women. Our findings contribute to this emerging research area by taking a different perspective – that presented in parole documentation and casefile records.…”

“…Durnescu (2019), studying the experiences of male releasees in Romania, also examined the social struggles experienced by releasees entering the community following periods of incarceration. He likewise found that the differences between institutional and outside worlds, as well as social changes and altered interpersonal dynamics (e.g.…”

“…Leverentz, 2011; Moran, 2012; Opsal and Foley, 2013), fewer researchers have analyzed the psycho-social and mental health implications of experiences of release from custody and community supervision, which are not captured by analyses of institutional challenges, or by the “pains of imprisonment”. Analyzing the post-release experiences of women released from federal custody in Canada, we contribute empirically and conceptually to research on the pains of release (Durnescu, 2011, 2019; Nugent and Schinkel, 2016; Semenza and Link, 2019; Shantz and Frigon, 2009). Drawing on participants’ casefiles, we consider the multiple stressors women experience in the post-release context as reported by case managers.…”

Beyond Recidivism and Desistance

“…More recently, Farrall et al (2010) found desistance to be negatively impacted by the decline of the sorts blue collar jobs that formerly incarcerated men used to be able to obtain in the UK. Looking at interplays between cultural and structural forces, Calverley (2013) noted that Indian men post-incarceration in the UK were more likely than Black men to obtain jobs due to the support of their families, many of whom owned small businesses in which they could offer the previously incarcerated man a job (Durnescu, 2019 for a similar study regarding Roma men in Romania; Hannon & DeFina, 2010 for an analysis of how economic conditions impact employment and reentry of formerly incarcerated people. )…”