Reentry as a rite of passage

Abstract

Mary Douglas argues that, ‘There are some things we cannot experience without ritual.’ Ex-prisoner reintegration may be one of them. The punishment process involves an inordinate amount of ritual behavior, from the drama of the courtroom to the elaborate de-individuation processes involved in institutionalization. Durkheim argues that these rituals serve a distinct purpose for society: engendering social solidarity and shaping penal sensibilities. Like the commission of a crime, the reintegration of the former outcast back into society represents a challenge to the moral order, a delicate transition fraught with danger and possibility. However, unlike punishment, reintegration is not a process characterized by well-orchestrated and familiar rituals. This lack might explain the failings of prisoner reentry in contemporary society. This article reviews the sociological and anthropological literature on rituals, explaining what they are and what they do, focusing in particular on the role of status degradation ceremonies in criminal justice work. Drawing on this literature, the core elements that would be needed to develop rituals of reintegration powerful enough to counteract these degradation effects are discussed, and the potential impact of such hypothetical rituals is explored.

An exception to the rule: Belief in redeemability, desistance signals, and the employer’s decision to hire a job applicant with a criminal record

“…Exoffenders substantiate attaining such skills with references or recommendations from employment programs facilitators (Davidson, 2011;Holzer et al, 2002), job placement agencies (Fahey et al, 2006) and previous employers (Fletcher, 2001). More formal processes such as obtaining documented evidence of rehabilitation from a governing professional body also provide demonstrable hard skill evidence for ex-offenders to signal their desistance (Love, 2003;Lucken & Ponte, 2008;Maruna, 2011).…”

Restoring identity: The use of religion as a mechanism to transition between an identity of sexual offending to a non-offending identity

“…Instead, it is more commonplace for people to remain stigmatized, to face formal disintegrative shaming sanctions, and to be prevented from fully reintegrating back into society (Robbers, 2009;Maruna, 2011). The opportunity to seek forgiveness was one that participants took during their engagement with their religious community.…”

La concesión (o denegación) de la libertad condicional: la elaboración de las resoluciones interlocutorias. Un estudio de caso en Argentina

“…No obstante, desde el punto de vista social, es un momento de fragilidad en un doble sentido: Por un lado, el paso del encierro a la libertad genera una conmoción emocional tanto en quien sale en libertad como en quienes lo reciben; por otro lado, resulta un momento en el cual la reincidencia está casi a la mano. (Clear, Rose y Ryder, 2001;Leverentz, 2001;Maruna, 2001). Si no se pueden dar algunas condiciones mínimas de carácter estructural, así como otras de índole comunitaria y personal, las intenciones de no recaer en el delito se vuelven en contra.…”

“…Por ejemplo, el retorno al menudeo de drogas se presenta como una solución «razonable» a corto plazo, siendo una forma social adaptativa en contextos inestables (Scott, 2004). A quien ha estado en la cárcel le sobreviene un etiquetamiento social por el que se convierte de por vida en alguien «peligroso», «contagioso» o «sucio», entre otros calificativos de orden despreciativo (Leverentz, 2001;Maruna, 2001;Scott, 2004).…”