Gendered Prison and Reentry Experiences: Perspectives From Rural People on Parole

Abstract

The present study unites and builds on existing research about gendered reentry experiences and gender-responsive approaches in prison through its analysis of 74 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with people on parole. Taking a gender-responsive approach, the project’s twofold research question asked how rural people conceptualized men’s and women’s prisons as gendered institutions and the various ways in which they understand their individual experiences in prison as gendered. Analysis resulted in three primary themes: [1] structural and institutional gender discrimination; [2] solidarity as supportive for women versus solidarity as protective for men; and [3] emotional regulation in peer relationships. Taken together, our findings add nuance to understandings of the profound impact of gender on incarceration and reentry and offer support for the expansion of gender-responsive approaches to both men’s and women’s institutions.