Thoughts Beyond Stigma-Implications for Change Reflected in the Voices of Previously Incarcerated Citizens

More than six hundred thousand people are released from state and federal prisons annually, with nearly ninety-five percent of those returning to the communities in which they resided prior to incarceration, albeit frequently with discomfort and marginalization. Programs to foster reintegration inhere in almost every locale, yet recidivism still remains at an unacceptable level. With the surge of interest and empirical study of this topic, the voices of returning citizens can further enhance significant theory and knowledge to inform successful reentry and adjustment. The purpose of this study was to advance theory regarding the nature of stigma from the perspectives of informants who have been incarcerated, and who have spent varying lengths of time back in their communities following their completion of a term of incarceration. In the process of the study, unexpected, illuminating insights beyond the intended aim of the research were revealed.