Overcoming the Odds: Understanding Formerly Incarcerated Women's Desistance from Crime Public
Vitorino, Sarah (2012)
Published
Abstract
Increasing rates of female incarceration along with high rates
of recidivism are
overpopulating America's prison and jails with women who, according
to statistics, have
little chance of breaking the cycle of crime and reincarceration
(Henriques and Manatu-
Rupert 2001). Despite little likelihood of succeeding, however, a
small number of
women find ways of overcoming the challenges of incarceration and
reentry and not only
stop offending, but manage to create a meaningful, productive life
(Byrne and Trew
2008). To better understand how and why women defy the odds, I
constructed a project
that drew together the desistance and positive psychology
literatures-two distinct
streams of theory and research. Extending Shadd Maruna's (2001)
work on desistance
from crime and building on the contributions of feminist
criminologists, I conducted life-
history interviews with 20 formerly incarcerated women (10
self-reported that they were
still committing crimes (i.e. persisting) and 10 self-reported that
they were no longer
committing crimes (i.e. desisting). I also administered a
well-being measure (MHC-SF)
to these women, building on the work of positive psychologist Corey
Keyes. Data
analyses revealed that desisting and persisting formerly
incarcerated women varied in
terms of the narrative themes that they used to describe events in
their life and in their
mental health scores. Desisting women demonstrated higher levels of
overall positive
mental health, enacted various resilience strategies for dealing
with challenges, and had
access to key mentors and support networks, which ultimately
connected them to tangible
resources and opportunities. Women who were persisting in crime had
varying
qualitative and quantitative mental health data, including high
mental health scores but
evidence of low mental health in the qualitative data, enacted
fewer resilience strategies,
and had access to very little by way of social or tangible
resources. My findings suggest
that there could be a relationship between well-being and
desistance. As well, my
findings indicate that quantitative mental health research with
women who are
committing crimes and those who are using drugs may be more
reliable when
supplemented with qualitative data. My dissertation findings
provide support for broader
policy and programming that promote well-being and desistance for
formerly
incarcerated women.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Chapter 2: Desistance and Well-being: A Review of the Literature 9
Chapter 3: Methodology and Research Design 44
Chapter 4: The Role of Identity-based and Psychological Resilience Strategies in Supporting Desistnace 78
Chapter 5: The Role of Interpersonal Resilience Strategies in Supporting Desistance 132
Chapter 6: The Role of Social Supports in Supporting Desistance 153
Chapter 7: Qualitative and Quantitative Measures of Well-being 186
Chapter 8: Research Applications and Future Directions 204
Reflection 216
References 217
About this Dissertation
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