Engaging Incarcerated Women through Holistic Services: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Background:

The growing numbers of incarcerated women not only fuel the gender debate, but challenge the disparities between women and men entering the criminal justice system. While incarcerated women are likely to be in prison for drug related charges compared to men imprisoned for violent offenses, the criminal justice system often categorize women’s drug use and addiction as criminal activities rather than a public health concern. Because women are often re-victimized within a prison setting, imprisonment creates additional barriers such as increased mental anguish, incidence of trauma and abuse, and susceptibility for being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet, gaps remain in terms of providing services and resources to incarcerated women that address their unique needs and make them self-reliant for community reunification. The purpose of our study is to assess the impact of a gender-sensitive and rehabilitative holistic services program for women incarcerated due to substance abuse within a local correctional facility in the southern sector of United States. We explore specific facets of the holistic program to give voice to participants’ lived experiences behind the cells of the criminal justice system as a place of community learning, self-expression, and the expected and unexpected outputs to make engaged connections between the program and its observed impacts.

Methods:

Guided by an evaluation design, we used qualitative research method to explore the lived experiences of 89 incarcerated women who voluntarily participated in the holistic services program at the correctional facility. Women over the age of 17 who spoke or read English were eligible to participate in the study and consented prior to their participation in the program. Data collection included qualitative data via journal entries during a 12-month time period. Following the grounded theory technique, we analyzed the data using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding methods to essentially distinguish concepts and categories, confirm the accuracy of participant responses and explore the linkages between conditions and categories.

Findings:

Four major themes generated from this study reported impactful components of programming that assisted women in gaining insight and awareness regarding their choices, decisions, and creation of a learning community through empowerment building, deemed valuable for refining the program and documenting its impact. The themes included: (a) importance of sensitivity and support (b) life-skill building classes, (c) self-awareness and self-expression, and the (d) importance of community support.

Implications:

Findings from this study reiterate the need to develop culturally competent services for incarcerated women and address the issue of limited programs and services. Because incarceration can create additional barriers for women, improved outcomes on the effectiveness of programming within the criminal justice system are much needed to assess the use of community support and resources. Findings of this study will provide the social work profession opportunities for further research, program evaluation, and policy implications for setting a research agenda for evaluation using qualitative methods. We also provide methodological implications for research with underserved populations.