Incarceration poses numerous emotional challenges for women that must be overcome to facilitate successful reintegration into society. One of the primary motivational challenges faced by women in incarceration is regarding motivation, maintaining a sense of hope and purpose amidst the often bleak and restrictive environment of prison.
Without a sense of hope and purpose, women may struggle to stay motivated and make positive choices while incarcerated. To overcome this challenge, it is crucial to provide women with opportunities for personal growth and development, such as educational programs, vocational training, and mental health support. These resources can help women rediscover their sense of purpose and envision a brighter future for themselves, which can greatly increase their motivation to stay on a positive path during their incarceration.
Lack of support networks
Another significant emotional challenge for women during incarceration is the loss of social ties and support networks. Without the support of family and friends, women may feel isolated and disconnected, which can negatively impact their emotional well-being and motivation to engage in positive behaviors within the correctional setting. To address this challenge, it is essential to establish and maintain strong connections between incarcerated women and their loved ones.
From my experience in these environments, I have observed several factors that contribute to the fears and challenges faced by incarcerated women. These include social discrimination, lack of trust and loss of social ties, unemployment leading to financial instability, homelessness, potential revenge from others in their community, loss of properties or assets during imprisonment, family breakup due to separation from loved ones and children, distorted public images causing stigma and prejudice. Some authors supports this observation by highlighting that negative emotions are particularly prevalent among female prisoners long after they are released from correctional centers.
Drawing on strain theory as an explanatory framework for understanding the challenges faced by incarcerated women upon reintegration into society highlights the physical and psychosocial problems they typically encounter. Research shows that women often define themselves through their relationships with others. Building meaningful connections is a primary motivation for many women. However, imprisonment further isolates them from healthy relationships – including mothers who are separated from their children while incarcerated. It is worth noting that nearly half of all incarcerated mothers were living with their children as single parents prior to serving time in prison.The responsibilities associated with childcare also fell disproportionately on these mothers compared to men before incarceration.