The Social Construction of Success within the Process of Decision Making in Prisoner Reentry

• In Event: Improving Reentry Outcomes

Abstract

In community corrections and reentry programs the notion of ‘success’ is far more complex than most definitions of the term depict. Through the use of social construction there is a shared understanding of what defines the ‘ideal offender’ by the gatekeepers in these organizations that determine when ‘success’ has been achieved on the part of the offenders as they struggle to be released back into society. This paper delves into the literature that examines the definitions of ‘success’ during the process of reentry, the act of decision making in determining what offenders are suitable for release back into the community and the role of gatekeepers in the process of reentry. This literature comprises a component of the framework of a more in-depth case study of the decision-making processes within a large residential reentry center.

Author

• Melanie Norwood, University of Illinois at Chicago