‘You have been punished in prison. And then when you are released, you are punished for life’: Post-incarceration barriers for women in Ukraine

Abstract

Formerly incarcerated women face multidimensional barriers post-release, ranging from individual, relational, institutional, to systemic. Drawing on the conceptual framework of interlocking barriers facing formerly incarcerated women, this qualitative case study set in one minimum-security prison in Ukraine with 21 interviewed women, four teachers, and eight staff demonstrates that interlocking systemic barriers cemented in Ukrainian society complicate formerly incarcerated women’s integration in society and may set them up for failure and recidivism. The study illuminates how the absence of housing, employment and discrimination, stigma, inadequate support system, lack of economic and cultural capital to pursue further education, and health challenges confronting incarcerated women post-release disadvantage the already vulnerable population in Ukraine. The findings of this study contribute to the field of sociology by highlighting the interlocking barriers confronting women post-incarceration and elucidating a gendered approach to understanding women’s reentry experiences in Ukraine.

Research with institutionalized populations: Methodological and ethical dilemmas

“…Similarly, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations in Ukraine are viewed as aberrant, deviant, pathological, and dangerous (Korzh, 2014(Korzh, , 2015. Research shows (Korzh, 2022) that formerly incarcerated women face degrading attitudes shaped by societal stigma and ostracism resulting in social discrimination when they return to their communities. The stigmatization and discrimination of incarcerated women stem from the perceptions of drug and alcohol use in Ukrainian society and addiction as amoral and deviant behaviors-perceptions which remain entrenched in the Soviet past.…”

Health Education for Women Released from Prison in Brazil: Barriers and Possibilities for Intervention

“…After being released from prison, women who have experienced prison face multidimensional barriers when returning to social life (Korzh 2022), which are recognized by some authors as individual, relational, institutional, and political-systemic barriers (Sturm and Nixon 2015).…”