The Cognitive Dissonance of Parole: A Study on Returning Citizens’ Experiences Using Technology for Parole Requirements

• In Event: Navigating Supervision, Housing and Reintegration After Incarceration

Abstract

Objective. The collateral consequences and barriers returning citizens face during reentry and their impact on successful supervision completion are well-documented. However, much of the literature fails to consider how digital inequality may further exacerbate returning citizens’ ability to meet supervision requirements. Consequently, the current study addresses this limitation by exploring Black returning citizens’ experiences accessing and using technology for their supervision conditions. Methods. Using data from 73 semi-structured interviews with Black returning citizens, the current study explores how returning citizens connected their experiences with technology to their parole supervision conditions. Findings. The findings demonstrate that participants linked experiences with technology to 12 different supervision conditions, and their experiences were overwhelmingly negative, though positive experiences were present as well. Furthermore, the findings reveal that returning citizens’ experience socio-digital inequalities, leading to additional frustration when trying to comply with requirements. As a result, they must contend with the cognitive dissonance of parole. Conclusion. Findings suggest that returning citizens are not social or digital but instead socio-digital, which exacerbates their ability to meet parole conditions and causes additional irritation and fear during the reentry process.

Author

• Kaelyn Sanders, Arizona State University