Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Lisa A. Melander / The number of women incarcerated within the American penal system has been increasing in recent years. Coinciding with this rise in the incarceration rate for women, there has been increasing concern regarding women parenting behind bars and how incarceration impacts a woman's identity as a mother. As such the purpose of this paper is to examine the connection between participation in contact maintenance programs at the Topeka, Kansas Correctional Facility and their resulting impact on identity work using a sample of 34 incarcerated mothers who participated in this contact maintenance program. Results revealed that through participation in contact maintenance programs incarcerated mothers begin to develop and sustain a more pro- social image of themselves as 'good mothers.' Foundational practices of parenting and the development and sustainment of the mother-child bond are reinforced to facilitate the development of a positive self-image and to lay the groundwork for successful parenting post- release.

The aim of this study is to look into the correctional system’s work with parent ship of incarcerated mothers and fathers from a gender perspective. It is a qualitative study and two interviews have been done with employees from a prison for women and one interview from a prison for men. Two interviews have been done with two former incarcerated parents, one mother and one father. One interview has also been done with an organization which gives children with incarcerated parents support and an opportunity to meet other children in the same situation. They also give incarcerated parents support in the contact with their children. The results of the study imply that the correctional system has the same theoretical approach when working with incarcerated mothers and fathers. It is obvious that when it comes to attitudes and presumptions about parent ship, there are differences based on a gender perspective. This affects the practical work with parent ship within the correctional system. The results show that gender is always present in the discussion about parent ship within the correctional system even though the framework tells us different. This makes it even more important to be aware about how gender makes us look at parent ship depending on sex. Not least in the correctional system.

This study investigated the experience of involuntary membership in U.S. and Norwegian prisons. The purpose of the study was two-fold: 1) offer a comprehensive understanding of the construct of membership, and 2) develop a substantive, mid-range theory of involuntary membership (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Merton, 1968; Weick, 1974). The research questions posed were designed to clarify the experience of involuntary membership and included: What facets comprise involuntary membership?, In what ways do individuals describe the experience of involuntary membership?, and In what ways does Norwegian involuntary membership differ from U.S. involuntary membership in a prison setting? In order to answer these questions, I conducted 62 in-depth interviews in the United States and Norway with incarcerated individuals (n = 41), correctional officers (n = 10), wardens (n = 3), and prison teachers (n = 8). The interviews were dispersed across four separate prison facilities. I took a grounded theoretical approach to the data and used the constant comparative method in my analysis. Participants spoke about involuntary membership in relation to 10 distinct facets: Activities, Belongings, Body, Communication, Mind, Organizational Boundary Management, Space, Sound, Relationships, and Time. In addition, the participants in the study described their experience with involuntary membership in relation to their 1) responses to, and 2) outcomes of the phenomenon. Similarities and differences in the experience of involuntary membership between the United States and Norway were also discussed. The three-macro themes in this study came together to create a substantive, mid-range theory of involuntary membership in prisons. In order to explicate this theory, I offered a Process Model of Involuntary Membership and subsequently elucidated the theory using a structurational ontology (see Banks & Riley, 1993; Kirby & Krone, 2002) or worldview (Kilminster, 1991). This study contributes to communication research and theorizing by illuminating and addressing the limitations of previous scholarship. Theoretical implications and future research directions are also discussed. / text

In 2016, University X was awarded a grant to pilot Project Rebound. Project Rebound assist people who are formerly incarcerated navigate the admissions process and graduate from University X with bachelors or master’s degrees. The purpose of this research is to investigate the difficulty that the formerly incarcerated face when assimilating into a new environment far removed from the confines of prison. The current study will answer the questions: what does an effective reentry program look like at University X, and what interventions are most correlated with success? University X’s Project Rebound uses risk assessment instruments and focuses on behavioral outcomes. Using self-administered anonymous surveys, we will identify which interventions or programs are needed to develop a successful college reentry program for formerly incarcerated individuals. Our students require multiple services, which suggests a need for collaboration across other campus programs and county agencies.

The study aimed at obtaining perspectives of social workers in working with the incarcerated population. Being that the incarcerated population may carry a stigma due to the crimes that they allegedly committed or have been convicted of committing, it comes to question if workers in the helping professions, such as social workers, that may be involved in the inmate’s rehabilitation process have any biases in working with this population. Participants in the study included members from the National Association of Social Workers California chapter (NASW CA). NASW CA was chosen as the most appropriate entity through which to gather perspectives of social workers with varying demographics. The study was comprised of a survey emailed out to NASW CA members from a list generated by NASW CA, and the data was collected on the Qualtrics application. The eight main survey questions consisted of statements that are rated using a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The data was analyzed in the IBM SPSS v25 program. Participant demographics, including gender, ethnicity, age, years in field, and area of social work practice were also captured. The data was analyzed using descriptive and bivariate comparisons between specific participant demographics -such as gender (male/female) and ethnicity (white/non-white)- regarding their perspectives toward inmates. The survey was completed anonymously; termination was completed during the debriefing statement. There were 45 participants in the study. Participant demographics include: 1) 82% female and 18% male; 2) 42% identified as non-white and 58% as white; 3) 40% have worked in the social work field for 0-10 years and 60% have been in the field for more than 10 years; 4) 56% were between the ages of 18-45 and 44% were above 45 years old; 5) 40% have experience working in Child Welfare while the other 60% do not; and 6) 47% have direct experience working with inmates while 53% do not. Bivariate analyses revealed four statistically significant differences between specific demographic groups, including: 1) participants who do not have experience working in child welfare are more likely than those who do have experience to feel like they are putting themselves in danger by working with inmates; 2) participants who have 0-10 years’ experience in the field are more likely than those with more than 10 years’ experience to feel like they are putting themselves in danger by working with inmates; 3) participants who indicated an age above 45 years old are more likely than those under 45 years old to think that inmates have rights and should have access to services; and 4) participants who indicated having direct experience working with inmates were more likely to feel comfortable working with inmates than participants who do not have direct experience. There are implications for micro and macro social work practice, which include exposure to this population while in a social work program and further training in cultural competency to reduce bias toward this population and ensure full and equal access to social work services.

The present study aimed to expand the knowledge base regarding incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health with the goal of identifying avenues for more tailored, compassionate responses to their mental health difficulties in both macro and direct practice contexts. To achieve this aim, a secondary data analysis was performed using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2004. Six research questions pertaining to women’s experiences with violence and their mental health difficulties and service utilization guided the inquiry, which involved univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses, including latent class analysis, performed to identify patterns in mental health difficulties among incarcerated women, and multiple logistic regression procedures. The latent class analysis resulted in selection of a 4-class solution which grouped women in the sample into four subgroups according to the latent variable of mental health difficulties. The four subgroups included the serious mental illness group (8.7%), the mood and drug use disorders group (30.3%), the substance use only group (11.7%), and the resilient group (49.4%). Women were less likely to be in the resilient mental health group and more likely to engage with a range of mental health services if they had perpetrated violence or experienced various forms of victimization, including sexual victimization in either childhood or adulthood, or physical victimization in either childhood or adulthood. Social workers should develop and implement clinical mental health treatment in correctional centers tailored to the mental health needs of subgroups identified through latent class analysis, including treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Clinical mental health treatment should also target those needs related to trauma stemming from victimization and perpetration of violence. Additionally, social workers should advocate for policies and programs to prevent and remediate drug-related crime and divert women with serious mental illness away from the criminal justice system.

A women's prison in the midwestern region of the United States experienced an increase of female inmates. Incarcerated women have reported higher rates of substance abuse problems, prior victimization, and mental illness than their male counterparts. Clinical social workers are often the primary service providers in criminal justice settings. The purpose of this action research project was to explore the challenges faced by social workers in a midwestern state when providing clinical treatment services to female offenders. Postmodern feminist theory and pathways theory provided a framework for understanding the factors related to female offending. The practice-focused research question explored the responses of licensed clinical social workers in a midwestern state regarding identifying the issues and challenges of providing clinical treatment services to female offenders. Data were collected from interviews with 7 local clinical social workers who had experience working with female offenders. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to explore and organize the data. The study revealed 5 primary themes that included the unique background of female offenders, factors contributing to the incarceration of women, barriers to effective clinical treatment, the nature of prison, and postincarceration needs of female offenders. A possible implication of this study for social change is that specialized and/or population-specific training for clinical social workers may benefit clients in achieving their treatment goals and improve their capacity to successfully readjust upon release from jail or prison.

The school to prison pipeline is a phrase used to describe the phenomenon where youth, and disproportionately African American males, are pushed out of public school systems into criminal justice systems. It hints at the possibility that incarceration is not a matter of chance, but often a structurally created and supported outcome. In order to understand the men most disproportionately impacted by the phenomena this study explores the narratives of twelve formerly incarcerated African American men. Structural racism, challenges of school integrations and criminal justice policies emerge as powerful influences on the life outcomes of formerly incarcerated African American men. This study goes beyond statistical accounts of racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system to deeply consider the voices of generations of formerly incarcerated African American men. Understanding the impact of the school and justice systems on the lives of African American men has implications for educators and policy makers. / text

It is widely known that Aboriginal men and women are overrepresented in the Canadian prison system. A long history of colonial violence and its contemporary manifestations has placed a disproportionate number of Canadian Aboriginal peoples at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale. In many ways, Canadian prisons have become the means through which society has chosen to respond to this history. Examining Indigenous men’s experiences and creative writing in a provincial correctional institution provides an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how these men consider and respond to the very real impact colonialism has on their lives. Through participant interviews I analyze the Inspired Minds: All Nations Creative Writing program at Saskatoon Correctional Centre and the way in which it has informed, challenged and changed participant experiences and relationships. Indigenous masculinity and transformative learning theory are utilized to better understand and interpret the experiences of program participants. Indigenous masculinity presents a lens which highlights how their lives have been impacted and shaped through community experiences with ongoing colonialism. Further it allows for a nuanced understanding of how heteropatriarchal masculinity is reinforced and perpetuated within the prison and how the classroom works to challenge these representations. Transformative learning theory allows for a deep understanding of the way in which the prison classroom can challenge the above norms by providing a contested learning environment. Inspired Minds: All Nations Creative Writing provides evidence that arts and education based programs can challenge the toxic, hegemonically masculine institution of the prison by creating a classroom space wherein participants are able to become active learners through the utilization of transformative learning principles.

This research examines the population of formerly incarcerated people as activists in the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Persons Movement. Applying a Personal Authority Framework, this work examines the role of race within organizing, the limitations of the voices of formerly incarcerated people, the role of the ally within the movement, the power that formerly incarcerated people do have and how they use it, and the necessary aspects and attributes of a movement. I conducted fourteen in depth interviews with formerly incarcerated individuals and their allies, all of which self-identified as activists. Given that the prison populations in the United States is the highest in the world, as is the populations of formerly incarcerated people, this work demonstrates the important role of activism in their lives and the importance of their personal stories and authority for an activist movement to be successful.