Factors That Impact Long-Term Reentry Success

Background and Purpose

Reentry for the returning citizens is mired with numerous barriers that result in high recidivism rates (Durose, Cooper, & Snyder, 2014). To explore factors associated with successful reentry over the long term, this qualitative study was conducted with federal returning citizens who perceived themselves as having successfully reentered into society. This study sought to explore reentry factors perceived as important by the returning citizens, which may validate or diverge from sanctioned reentry practices. Findings pointed to need for reforming current reentry policy, programs, and practices, to be more culturally relevant, transformative, and capacity building.

Method

An interpretive approach (Hesse-Biber, 2010) was used to explore factors associated with self-assessed successful reentry for returning citizens. Semi-structured qualitative interviews 60 to 120 minutes in length were conducted with 23 returning citizens who completed their federal supervision. Interviews were transcribed and Dedoose analysis software was used in text data analysis for themes. Codes were created, and through constant comparison and iterative reviews, sub-codes and links were created and merged.

Results

Ten main themes emerged from the federal returning citizens: Root of Me, Spiritual Enterprises/Awakening, Realization and Understanding, Success, Concerns and Burdens, Supports: Community/Family, Systemic Barriers/Ineffectiveness, Allures of Fast Criminal Life and Strength from Life Experiences. Some of the findings corroborated with the findings from the federal probation officers. However, there were many discrepancies and contradictions on what realistically help their reentry success. The federal probation officers were concerned with enforcing the court orders and sanctions and implementing mandated supervision strategies as their primary duty. In contrast, the returning citizens perceived these supervision strategies as punitive and ineffective practice of control and containment. They only further exacerbated the systemic barriers and disrupted their transition into society.

The probation officers who demonstrated awareness of the “real needs” of the returning citizens, and therefore, collaborated with the returning citizens, were seen as helpful as they promoted reflective insights and spiritual realizations. The officers who diverged from their mandated correctional practices and instead adopted more holistic approach viewed supportive relationship as important in facilitating intrinsic motivation toward reentry success. An insight-oriented supervision approach, responding to the returning citizens’ cultural context was seen as important. Other officers who practiced law enforcement approach were seen as antagonistic and ineffective in promoting reentry success.

Conclusion and Implications

Many evidence-based reentry programs are primarily focused on reducing recidivism and improving employability (Patterson, 2013; Mulhausen, 2015), with little effect in reducing recidivism rate. These reentry programs can be improved by incorporating culturally informed/relevant, transformative, and capacity-building strategies that focus on culturally birthed internal motivators that affect the process of long-term commitment to reentry progress through self-empowerment. Therefore, innovative insight-oriented reentry intervention model that emphasizes self-reflection, self-realization and -understanding, spirituality, support developments, avoiding the past, and learning strengths from mistakes should be adopted to strengthen current correctional and community reentry programs. Successfully reentered citizens have voiced that reformed reentry interventions will not only improve the returning citizens’ rates of long-term reentry success but will also reduce their recidivism rates.