Finding the Path to Reentry Together: Staff and Resident Perspectives at a Women’s Halfway House

• In Event: Roundtable: Reentry Research

Abstract

The trauma and stigma attached to formerly incarcerated women follows them along their path to reentry. Gender-responsive halfway homes like “Smith House,” located in a large northeastern city, can mediate the stress of reentry by providing resources and a supportive environment. This qualitative study explores the experiences of staff and residents at Smith House, utilizing participant observation and 30 semi-structured interviews with staff (n=11) and residents (n=19). Relationships between staff and residents are dynamic and shape residents’ views of the program and staffs’ commitment to their work. Juxtapositions emerged in how staff and residents described reentry at Smith House in terms of incarceration experiences, the rhetoric and reality of programming, social supports, adequate employment, and reentry challenges. The bonds between staff and residents working towards a path to “successful” reentry will be discussed.

Author

• Erin L Cournoyer, University of Massachusetts, Boston