Challenges facing reentry and reintegration of women ex- offenders into the community in Nyeri County, Kenya

Abstract

The rate of women entering the formal correctional system and serving custodial sentences in prison and prison remand is on the increase. This is accompanied by an increasing number of women exiting prisons unless they have a life or death sentence or die during incarceration. This study examined the challenges influencing reentry and reintegration of women ex-offenders into the community in Nyeri County, Kenya. Specific objectives were; to find out the challenges facing women returning home from prisons; to analyze the effects of these challenges; to evaluate the coping mechanisms adopted by women returnees and to evaluate how the relevant bodies can address these challenges. Using labeling and the social bond theories the study adopted a phenomenological research design to assess the problems of women ex-offender’s reentry and reintegration into the community. Purposive sampling procedure was used to select respondents through snowballing until saturation was attained with a sample size of 41 women ex-convicts. Key informants and Focused group discussants were also purposively selected. Data was collected using semi-structured interview schedule orally administered through face-to-face interviews and field sheets. Data collection was by reading questions and digital recording after which transcription was done, typed into Ms Word and eventually fed into NVivo software for processing and analysis based on themes. The study findings indicate that housing, employment and relationships are the main challenges faced by women returnees. The effects of these challenges include a stressful life, a life of poverty, stigma and discrimination, family break up and feelings of insecurity by communities. The findings also showed that coping mechanisms include relocating to areas where they are not known, renting houses or briefly staying with families or friends. The relevant bodies such as government and private agencies were not found to have addressed the challenges either through policy framework to mitigate these effects or coping process encountered by women returnees. The study concluded that; trials connected to housing, employment and relationships affects reentry and reintegration; unaddressed challenges affects not only the ex-convicts but their families and the communities; migrating to new places and concealing criminal history works as a coping mechanism and that no post prison care services exists and community corrections would work better for women offenders than incarceration. The study therefore recommends securing houses and property for offenders upon arrest and or conviction, special consideration for women with dependent children and reviewing minimum prison visitation. It also recommends expunging of criminal records upon release and making women ex-offenders beneficiaries of affirmative action funds. It further recommends adjustment of in-prison training and courses to suit individual and market needs, use of victim offender mediation and provision of after-care services to assist in coping after incarceration. The government should also involve other sectors such as the churches, the media, schools and Non- Governmental Organizations in educating the masses in order to ease re-entry of ex-convicts and reduce discrimination.