Thesis
The reintegration of violent offenders into the community
Masters by Research, Murdoch University
2019
Abstract
In Western Australia, about 10,000 prisoners are released into the community each year with most of these having been incarcerated following a conviction. A recidivism rate around 45% means there are large numbers of released prisoners who are reoffending and are returning to custody. Violent offenders account for about 20% of all prisoners and the harms caused by this group to the community, their families and themselves are considerable. Therefore, it is in the best interests of the government, the community and the returning prisoners themselves that their re-entry into the community is successful.
This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the prisoner reintegration process for violent offenders and, in particular, the elements of the process which contribute effectively to the ex-offender living a non-criminal and satisfying life. Using a qualitative methodology, nine adult males who had been imprisoned for (non-sexual) violent offences and had been released into the community were interviewed regarding their experiences. Recruitment of the participants was through a number of agencies which provide resettlement or rehabilitation and counselling services. A Grounded Theory approach was employed to analyse the transcripts of the interviews, with saturation of the resultant categories being achieved.
Five central themes emerged: the need for connection, a self-awareness which includes motivation for a process of change, a need for support from external agencies which is individually orientated, an agentic capacity to set one's own directions and a desire to give back to assist others. The Good Lives Model of rehabilitation and reintegration is examined and demonstrated to be a close fit to providing a means of addressing the issues arising from the participants' experiences. The implications of this to policy and practice are discussed.
Details
- Title
- The reintegration of violent offenders into the community
- Authors/Creators
- Mark Newhouse
- Contributors
- Guy Hall (Supervisor)Anahita Movassagh Reigler (Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Masters by Research
- Identifiers
- 991005544634307891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Law and Criminology
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
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