Women’s Voices: An Appreciative Inquiry of Off-Site Postsecondary Correctional Education

Using an appreciative inquiry method, this study explored the experiences of women who participated in off-site postsecondary correctional education (PSCE). Semistructured interviews were conducted with four women who participated in study release, a program in which women who are incarcerated are p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Affilia 2019-02, Vol.34 (1), p.8-27
Main Authors: Frerich, Michelle A., Murphy-Nugen, Amy B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correctional education
Criminal justice policy
Female offenders
Females
Higher education
Imprisonment
Inquiry method
Participation
Prisoners
Recidivism
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Using an appreciative inquiry method, this study explored the experiences of women who participated in off-site postsecondary correctional education (PSCE). Semistructured interviews were conducted with four women who participated in study release, a program in which women who are incarcerated are permitted to leave the prison facility on a daily basis in order to attend postsecondary education courses at a nearby university or community college. Findings indicate one unifying theme among study participants: the restoration of one’s humanity through participation in PSCE. Connected to this unifying theme are two subthemes: (1) restoration of self and (2) restoration of connection and community. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed, including involving women and women’s voices in advocacy efforts to shape correctional policy from a punitive to restorative approach, offering choice of study in PSCE, providing PSCE opportunities that are off-site, fostering connections among PSCE participants and those who support them, and considering measures beyond recidivism to measure PSCE success. Limitations and suggestions for future research are addressed.
ISSN:0886-1099
1552-3020
DOI:10.1177/0886109918796250