Date of Award

7-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

School of Social Welfare

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Heather HKH Horton

Committee Members

Eric ERH Hardiman, Brent BI In

Keywords

Criminal justice involvement, Drug addiction recovery, Incarceration, Therapeutic jurisprudence, Women's mental health

Subject Categories

Social Work

Abstract

Aims: This dissertation research explores incarceration experiences among adult women with drug addiction histories. It aims to enhance our knowledge of the meaning of incarceration and the prolonged influence of the experience on women’s drug addiction recovery, filling knowledge gaps regarding women, substance use, and incarceration. Methodology: The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with twenty-two (22) formerly incarcerated women in the Northeast and Midwest United States. A phenomenological approach was used to explore the meaning of incarceration to the participants; the deprivation model of imprisonment, the life course theory, intersectionality, and the therapeutic jurisprudence perspective guided the analysis. Findings: Women with drug addiction described being deprived of a sense of physical and psychosocial security, the autonomy to make decisions regarding health-related interventions, the liberty to act, speak, and express themselves freely, and a degradation of a sense of self during incarceration. The experiences differed by socio-economic background, including race/ethnicity, sexuality, and class. The women experienced incarceration as a forced pause in life during which they achieved temporary sobriety, and interventions in prison and jail rarely had long-term effects. Rather, incarceration had prolonged emotional consequences, including mental health issues, trauma syndromes, and drug relapse that could lead to rearrests. The women's addiction recovery stages appeared interlocked with their cycles of criminal justice system involvement. The two systems had their own patterns and dynamics while intersecting and influencing each other. Conclusions: Practitioners working with drug-involved women should address their incarceration experiences as critical life events to better capture and understand their psychosocial needs. An intersectional lens is recommended when designing culturally competent services for this population. Future research should investigate incarceration-related emotional distress and trauma, as well as how it varies across different gender and racial-ethnic groups. Finally, state-level interventions to drug addiction should continue transforming from a punitive to a therapeutic model, replacing imprisonment with self-empowering and -motivating treatment.

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