Returning Home? The Meaning of Housing for Desistance Efforts of Women exiting Jail

• In Event: 600 - Section on Crime, Law and Deviance Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Crime, Law and Deviance Roundtables. Table 01. Reentry and Reintegration

Abstract

This paper examines the case of women experiencing reentry from short-term incarceration in jail. I conducted longitudinal, ethnographic interviews with 29 female offenders exiting jail to understand how women navigate jail reentry. In my analysis, I examine the role that housing plays in the desistance strategies of women exiting short term incarceration. I find that stable housing, particularly housing that was under their own control, was a valuable resource in developing and supporting their claims of an ex-offender, a moral identity predicated on individual agency and self-efficacy.

Author

• Amanda Ward, University of Wisconsin-Madison