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Abstract: Utilizing semi-structured interviews with 24 inmates in one medium security prison, this study examines how incarcerated sex offenders approaching release perceive previous experiences with and future expectations for their families. Observed characteristics of family associations among these inmates, both prior and subsequent to their labeling as sex offenders, will help identify how such public identification may impact social support from loved ones that is often necessary for successful community reintegration. Findings reveal that incarcerated sex offenders held both positive and negative outlooks toward their families before and after their labeling. Almost without exception, sex offenders reporting positive family experiences prior to their public identification described relationships that featured support, encouragement, and intimacy. However, those detailing negative family experiences discussed traumatic situations riddled with separation, violence, and sexual abuse. The majority of sex offenders anticipating positive family experiences upon release described personal acceptance, employment opportunities, and housing options. Most of these inmates, however, also possessed negative expectations for their families, including relationships characterized by rejection and doubt. Limitations and directions for future sex offender research are discussed.
Keywords: sex offenders, sex offenses, families of sex offenders, sex offenders' perceptions
INTRODUCTION
As a result of increasingly large numbers of incarcerated offenders in the United States, numerous inmates are returning to society from prison each year. There are currently over 1.6 million criminal offenders living in American correctional facilities; approximately 1 in every 201 people in the U.S. are locked behind bars (Guerino, Harrison, and Sabol 2011). The majority of these people, nearly 650,000 inmates annually, are released from state and federal prisons (Swanson, Rohrer, and Crow 2010). Following release from incarceration, many of these ex-inmates quickly discover considerable setbacks in the community. Despite their liberation from incarceration, former inmates may encounter debt, homelessness, substance abuse, and unemployment that make life on the outside more arduous (Travis, Solomon, and Waul 2001; Visher, La Vigne, and Travis 2004).
For these reasons, robust family ties are essential for both current and former inmates, as these relationships may increase post-release success. Lower recidivism rates are common among former inmates that have family contact throughout their incarceration (Arditti, Lambert- Shute, and Joest 2003; Klein, Bartholomew, and Hibbert 2002). Specifically, prison visits from loved ones significantly decrease the risk of...