Date Presented 3/30/2017
Results of a phenomenological study of parolees’ barriers to community reintegration are presented. Participants were 38 nonviolent offenders living in three transitional living facilities. Their perceptions of barriers were characterized by five themes that emerged from focus group data.
Primary Author and Speaker: Casey Cromer Stewart
Additional Authors and Speakers: Lorrie George-Paschal
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE: The purpose of this research was to understand ex-offenders’ perceived barriers regarding successful community reintegration. Results will contribute to future programmatic planning to formalize the potential role of occupational therapy for this population.
METHOD: This study used a phenomenological qualitative design. Participants were 38 men on probation or parole who participated in focus groups (n = 22) or member check-in (n = 16) in one of three transitional living facilities. A semistructured interview guide was used to collect data on participants’ childhood, past and present goals, reasons for incarceration, perceptions of their current housing facility, and perceived barriers to reentry.
Permission to collect data was obtained from three facilities following institutional review board approval. Procedures were followed to protect participants. Audiotaped focus groups were transcribed. As described by Creswell (2014), inductive coding was used to find initial themes, and consensus was reached by the authors. Member checking was implemented at each site.
RESULTS: Five themes were supported by quotes. Participants reported negative physical and social environments, abusing drugs and alcohol at an early age, and a lack of opportunity to learn how to set and achieve goals. As a result, participants started early in life to engage in a negative cycle of substance abuse and crime. They perceived that society had negative expectations for them, and as a result, they felt as if their past followed them wherever they went. Many indicated a desire for financial, physical, and emotional stability and cited getting a job and reconnecting with their children as crucial to these goals.
DISCUSSION: Humans are occupational beings, and assumed roles play a large part in how people see and define themselves. Children are often forced into unhealthy roles before they are able to choose. As children and young adults, many participants did not have the support and guidance needed to learn how to set goals and take the steps to achieve them. Many of their peers and role models were engaging in risky behavior and substance abuse. These poor environmental influences did not foster development of adaptation and coping skills necessary for living a successful and satisfying life. Their environment was a barrier well before they ever made it into the criminal justice system.
CONCLUSION: This research clarified barriers that may inform service providers of possible areas for intervention to improve reentry success. These findings can be used in program planning for at-risk youth in our prisons and rehabilitation intervention services in transitional living facilities.
IMPACT: Thematic results of this study support findings by Wilcock (2006) and Whiteford (2000) that those who are incarcerated experience the debilitating effects of occupational deprivation. Participants in this study stated that it was easier to be in prison because the system structured everything for them, and without that structure, they didn’t know what to do now, where to start, and what they wanted or liked. Given our holistic perspective and background in mental health, occupational therapists are ideally suited to provide interventions for this population.
RESEARCH PRIORITIES: The research addresses the American Occupational Therapy Foundation’s (2015) research priorities involving transitions and emotional influences. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2011), practitioners must first define the needs for intervention so that the most effective strategies can be provided. This research begins a line of research to develop theory-based interventions for the population of individuals transitioning from prison. Interventions designed to help this population overcome barriers will help them realize success in meaningful occupations and positively impact society as a whole.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2011). Occupational therapy research agenda. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(6 Suppl.), S4–S7. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2011.65S4
American Occupational Therapy Foundation. (2015). Research priorities to advance full participation in meaningful life activities. Retrieved from http://www.aotf.org/aboutaotf/researchpriorities
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Whiteford, G. (2000). Occupational deprivation: Global challenge in the new millennium. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63, 200–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260006300503
Wilcock, A. A. (2006). An occupational perspective of health (2nd ed.). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.
