Lived experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers: Navigating societal stigmas and barriers impeding their pathways to pursue higher education

This qualitative research study used a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers in Indiana, as they navigate their return to the college classroom, given the stigma attached to justice involved individuals and motherhood. While significant research exists on incarcerated mothers, parenting behind bars, family re- unification, and external, structural obstacles faced by formerly incarcerated people upon re- entry and their paths to college, there appeared to be little research on the experiences of the post-incarcerated mother, her post-secondary educational journey from prison to college and internal barriers specific to mothers. This study investigated the external obstacles faced by this non-traditional population through their lived experiences and how these obstacles uniquely impacted their fears, insecurities, identities and self-image and the influence of the distinct hardships in pursuing the steps needed to return to college. This study also investigated how equipped institutions of higher education are to serve this population and help to clear their paths, whether by “banning the box” on admissions applications or providing the needed support and services to formerly incarcerated mothers, so they can increase their emotional capacity to pursue their educational goals. Data was collected and analyzed via questionnaires, observations at a live workshop, a group debrief on Webex and one-on-one interviews with workshop participants to understand the impact of the interventions designed for the population of participants and improve the lived experiences of mothers with incarceration experience while pursuing college.

Creator

• Neff, Lesley

Language

• English

Keyword

• higher education
• post-secondary education
• justice involved individual/people
• post traumatic prison disorder
• possible selves
• self-efficacy theory
• intergroup contact theory
• double deviant theory
• college
• motherhood
• formerly incarcerated
• incarceration experience
• stigmatization
• self-stigmatization
• structural stigma
• social stigma

Date created

• 2023

Resource type

• Capstone Project

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/