The Rehabilitation of Female Ex-Convicts in Prison and Their Reintegration to the Community: The Case of Female Ex-Convicts Discharged From Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2023-02
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study explored the rehabilitation and reintegration of female ex-convicts who were released from Kaliti Prison to the community in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The study answered the following research questions: What are the rehabilitation programs Kaliti prison provides to facilitate the reintegration of female ex-convicts before their release, what are the challenges female exconvicts face upon their release and the coping mechanisms female ex-convicts employ to deal with the challenges they face. The study was guided by rehabilitation, reintegration, liberal feminism, Marxist feminism and labeling theories. Qualitative method was employed to collect and analyze the data needed to address the objective of the study. Eleven unstructured in-depth interview and three key informant interviews were conducted between April and June 2023. The study also relied on secondary documents to assess prison programs. The study began by assessing the rehabilitation programs and supports Kaliti Prison Administration provides to facilitate the reintegration of female ex-convicts before their release. The prison rehabilitation programs included social services, counseling, sport and recreation activities and awareness creation on law and ethical education for prisoners. However, not all female ex-convicts had gotten the opportunity to attend all the programs when they were in prison. The prison lacks financial and personal resources to provide the rehabilitation programs for all inmates. The female ex-convicts faced psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. The female exconvicts also faced economic problems such lack of job opportunity and financial support. The study further noted that the female ex-convicts faced social challenges which are manifested through rejection by family members and being labeled as criminals after they were released and returned to the community. The female ex-convicts relied on religious support to cope with their psychological challenges. Furthermore, the female ex-convicts employed concealing criminal background and changing resident area as coping mechanism to deal with the negative reaction of the community. The study indicated that re-entry of female ex-convicts can be difficult. The experience female ex-convicts pass through after imprisonment could result in intense economic and social burden and may force them to recommit crimes. The prison shall design and implement better programs to prepare female inmates for successful reentry to their community upon release. Furthermore, intervention implementers and religious institutions should learn from experiences of other countries and provide some tangible and intangible support to help female ex-offenders.
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Keywords
Female Ex-Convicts, Rehabilitation