Women usually pay more attention to the location and space of the prison when describing it. This is why being separated from other public spaces is one of the characteristics that they focus on. For example, a female prisoner with less than a high school education, whose husband has passed away and has three daughters, and has been arrested and imprisoned for drug possession four times, says: “In prison, you may not be more than 200 meters away from your loved one, but you are separated by a wall.”

Another female prisoner says that she has lost everything by being imprisoned: “My credibility, my honor, my colleagues, my friends, and my family. They all looked at me differently.” She continues, “In the first month, my father didn’t even come to visit me… The worst thing in prison is being deprived of visits.” In prison, you can see girls whose families have abandoned them. There have even been reports of some committing suicide due to extreme psychological pressure. Other reasons for suicide attempts include feelings of worthlessness, seeking attention, and inability to cope with problems. (1).

A prison can be seen as a place that separates a prisoner from society and everything they are interested in. This separation ultimately results in a complete disconnection from their children and family members, and being rejected by them becomes evident. In addition, there are mental and physical classifications among prisoners that can lead to separation and feelings of superiority or animosity among themselves; for example, financial prisoners may see themselves as distinct from other prisoners.

As mentioned, one of the important negative consequences of prison for women is family and social exclusion, which is first manifested in family communication in prison and can be referred to as “prison family dysfunction”. Another negative and influential consequence for incarcerated women is the breakdown of family ties and separation from parents or children. From the perspective of incarcerated women, prison becomes a factor in separating mothers from their children and sometimes causing them to feel lost and vulnerable. In some cases, these women’s children are forced to live with relatives, acquaintances, or even in orphanages. Children under the age of two are also forced to live in prison with their mothers due to lack of support. It is clear that a child who grows up in prison will have unique characteristics and the negative consequences of this can manifest in society in the future. Therefore, without a doubt, the imprisonment of mothers can have irreparable effects on the lives of their children and expose them to more social harms, such as academic difficulties and even engaging

On the other hand, research shows that women who have children and also have a desire for their children, have a greater tendency to leave criminal activities and return to a normal life. A mother with three adult daughters in an interview with a social worker says, “In the past, when I went to prison, I would count the days until I got out and then go back to my old criminal activities. But this time, I wanted to work for my children after being released from prison. In the past, I would think about where I had hidden certain substances so I could go and use them. But this time, I introduced myself to myself. In the past, I never thought for a second that when I got out, I wouldn’t use drugs and I would definitely go and use them. But this time, my children would come to visit me and ask me to promise them that when I got out, I wouldn’t use drugs anymore…and I promised my children.” (2).

One of the effects of the challenging prison environment is the issue of criminal education and learning, recidivism, and increased criminal behavior. This issue leads many female criminals to become involved with criminal groups and gangs within the prison during their sentence, adopting a criminal lifestyle and behavior, and of course, receiving better education and learning new methods. Additionally, creating a sense of revenge and animosity towards other members of society is another negative effect of prison. In fact, some believe that prison makes individuals vengeful and gives them the opportunity and time to plan for revenge and retaliation against those they believe have wronged them, and even receive education for it. (1)

It seems that despite the changes that have occurred in the field of social and criminology issues, experts have not paid enough attention to the problems and challenges faced by incarcerated women, especially in recent decades. Neglecting this issue can lead to an increase in repeat offenses, return to prison, and the spread of social harms. For a convicted person, the period after imprisonment is one of the most important stages of life and can have a significant impact on their life and future. The problems and challenges during this period can even hinder the successful reintegration into society and lead women back to committing crimes and being incarcerated again and again. Therefore, it is extremely important to identify the dimensions of women’s lives after imprisonment and how they interact with the larger society and its challenges. Researchers believe that in addition to addressing the complex obstacles that women face when they are incarcerated, strengthening interventions and increasing counseling and services in these areas is necessary to help them.

The analysis of regulations and current practices in penal institutions shows that in the stage of identification and classification of prisoners, attention has been given to the psychological and moral damage of criminals in prison organizations, but there has been a significant lack of focus on identifying and addressing social factors of crime. Based on the results of a study, the establishment of a scientific and cohesive framework for implementing the process of social rehabilitation of criminals requires policy-making in two areas: criminal and post-criminal. “In post-criminal institutions, it is necessary to remove public barriers to the rehabilitation of criminals (cultural, social, and occupational barriers) and, on the other hand, to prevent the promotion of criminal behavior by providing conditional freedom for all prisoners and effective individual monitoring and control during this period.” (4).

As a result, the most fundamental challenges for women’s lives, after being released from prison, are mainly related to: acceptance and connection with their families, prison feedback and social relationships, condemnation and humiliation, feelings of loneliness, deprivation and backwardness, loss of social and economic capital, the stigma and bad reputation, and fear of not being accepted by their families and being separated from their family networks, which is usually intensified in the final days of imprisonment. The reason for this is that incarcerated women know that due to being rejected by their families, they are likely to face financial and livelihood problems, as well as difficulties in finding a place to live. According to evaluations, women who receive support from their family members – especially their spouses – are much more successful in the rehabilitation process compared to other women. On the other hand, women who are deprived of their spouse’s support often face compounded issues and problems, stemming from family and marital problems, as well as post-release challenges. Family and spous

The final point is that in general, it seems that women choose more individual solutions and strategies for managing post-prison life challenges, which usually rely on family support and connection to kinship networks. Therefore, in the area of managing challenges and desirable strategies for reducing the consequences of imprisonment, there are either no community-based or comprehensive services available, or their availability is limited, and this issue should be seriously studied and investigated. It is important to pay serious attention to the fact that relevant institutions and organizations provide what kind of social and community-based services and support to women after their release from prison, and how women become aware of these services and what uses they make of them?

Notes:

1- Sadeghi Fasayi, Soheila, Mirhosseini, Zahra, Life After Prison: Challenges of Rehabilitation for Women, Strategic Studies of Security and Social Order Journal, Year 6: Issue 3 (Serial 18), Autumn 1396.

2- Ebrahimi, Shahram, Fair Rehabilitation of Criminals, Journal of Criminal Law Principles, New Series: Issue 3, Spring and Summer 1391.

3- Abut, Pamela, Wallace, Clarke, Women’s Sociology, Translator: Manijeh Najmaraqi, Tehran: Nashr-e Ni, 12th edition, 1395.

4- Afrasiabi, Ali, The possibility of social acceptance of criminals in existing criminal and post-criminal environments, Journal of Crime Prevention Studies, Volume 5: Issue 15, Summer 1389 (2010).