Eighteen female ex-prison inmates describe the strengths they used to manage their reentry after release from prison. As a group, the women stressed that a mix of personal resiliency, interpersonal capacities, and social resources facilitated their successful transition. On the basis of study findings, the author suggests practice and policy changes to assist women in the transition from institution to community.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BanduraA. (1992). Exercise of personal agency through the self-efficacy mechanism. In SchwarzerR. (Ed.). Self-efficacy: Thought control of action, (pp. 338). Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing.
2.
BloomB., & SteinhartD. (1993). Why punish the children? A reappraisal of the children of incarcerated mothers in America.San Francisco: National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
3.
Chesney-LindM. (1992). Putting the brakes on the building binge. Corrections Today, 30–34.
4.
DalyK., & ImmargeonR. (1998). The past, present, and future of restorative justice: Some critical reflections. Contemporary Justice Review, 1(1), 21–46.
5.
DevineK. (1997). Family unity: The benefits and costs of community-based sentencing programs for women and their children in Illinois.Chicago: Chicago Legal Advocacy to Incarcerated Mothers.
6.
DresselP. L. (1994). … and we keep on building prisons: Racism, poverty, and challenges to the welfare state. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 21(3), 7–30.
7.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, (1998). Crime in the United States-Uniform Crime Reports.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
8.
GlaserB., & StraussA. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory.Chicago: Aldine.
9.
GoldsteinH. (1997). Victors or victims. In SaleebeyD. (Ed.) The strengths perspective in social work practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 21–35). White Plains, NY: Longman.
10.
GreenfeldL. A., & SnellT. L. (1999). Women offenders. (Bulletin No. NCJ-175688). Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
11.
GutiérrezL. M., & LewisE. A. (1999). Empowering women of color.New York: Columbia University Press.
12.
HairstonD. F. (1991). Family ties during imprisonment: Important for whom and for what?Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 18(1), 87–104.
13.
HolquistS. E. (1999). Nurturing the seeds of restorative justice. Journal of Community Practice6(2), 63–77.
14.
JordonJ. V., KaplanA.G., MillerJ. B., StiverI. P., & SurreyJ. L. (1991). Women's growth in connection: Writings from the Stone Center.New York: The Guilford Press.
15.
KoonsB. A., BurrowJ.D., MorashM., & BynumT. (1997). Expert and offender perceptions of program elements linked to successful outcomes for incarcerated women. Crime & Delinquency, 43, 512–532.
16.
LincolnY. S., & GubaE. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
17.
O'BrienP. (2001). Making it in the “free world”: Women in transition from prison.Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
18.
SaleebeyD. (1997). Introduction: Power in the people. In SaleebeyD. (Ed.), The strengths perspective in social work practice (2nd ed.) (pp. 3–19). White Plains, NY: Longman Press.
19.
SnellT. L. (1994). Women in prison. (Special Report No. NCJ-145321). Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
20.
StraussA., & CorbinJ. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques.Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
21.
ZaplinR. T. (Ed.). (1998). Female offenders: Critical perspectives and effective interventions.Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publications.
22.
ZiedenbergJ., & SchiraldiV.1999. Punishing decade: Prison and jail estimates at the millennium.Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute.
