Re-integration post imprisonment : focusing on family and community ties

Abstract

Successful reintegration post imprisonment is a key factor in the likelihood of reoffending. The characteristics that are mostly associated with successful reintegration include employment, housing, and social support, amongst others. The aim of this study is to explore the difficulties faced by prisoners when reintegrating, mainly focusing on the family and community aspect. This qualitative study aimed to put forward the service user’s perspective of the role of family ties during and after incarceration, as well as the societal perceptions felt by those who are or had been incarcerated. This study puts forward the perspective of two males who had already served their sentence, and four males who were in the process of transitioning into society and were serving the last months of their sentence. The majority of the participants had or were making use of the services offered by the Rehabilitation in Society Malta (RISe), therefore, there was additional emphasis on the need for the person to work on themselves to be able to move away from the life of crime. Labelling was ever-present within the findings, as most explained how on a general level they felt like the Maltese society is quick to judge and unable to distinguish between the person and their crime. Additional external factors like media also continue to strengthen the mentioned labelling. Furthermore, reference was made on the importance of support and the right company during the imprisonment phase and especially afterwards. Participants explained how the lack of these mechanisms, alongside issues with housing and employment, automatically leads to recidivism. The latter was explained to be a common phenomenon within the prison system, as the participants felt like there is a lack of mechanisms that prepare the prisoner to the outside world, in conjunction with not enough support and services on the outside. The findings of the study show clearly that the current services leave much to be desired and there needs to be importance given to positive and successful reintegration, as opposed to stopping at the punitive function of prison.