Narrative Identity of Women in the Criminal Legal System Due to Opioid Addiction

• In Event: Exploring Social Determinants of Health Outcomes and Access to Care

Abstract

The presentation draws from a qualitative study of women involved with the criminal legal system due to substance use disorders. We focus on a sample of 50 women interviewed over an eight-month period in 2023 in a large Midwestern region. Interview data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Narrative Identity Theory provided support in the interpretation of the narratives created by participants. Findings indicate that women were prone to revisit their childhood and adolescence to identify relationships, traumatic experiences, and experiences of discrimination as the reasons for addiction disorders. Further, participants pointed to the struggle with the criminal legal system, abusive intimate relationships, and difficult family relations as the reasons for their struggle with reentry and sobriety. The study’s findings may help identify future research questions, as well as design policies and programs that aim to support women grappling with substance use disorders and involvement with the criminal legal system.

Authors

• Monica Solinas-Saunders, Indiana University Northwest

• Mark Thomas, Indiana University

• Natasha Brown, Indiana University

• Maureen Petrunich Rutherford, Indiana University

• Kevin McElmurry, Indiana University