OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY 1OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS RE.docx

OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY 1
OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY BACK INTO
SOCIETY 15
Obstacles for Offender’s Reentry into Society
Luv Dean
Saint Leo University
I. The Problem
There is a major concern, among criminal justice
professionals, in regard, to the unsuccessful reentry of inmates
into civilian life after incarceration which leads to high rates of

recidivism. The unsuccessful reentry is due largely to the
stigma, inability to obtain gainful employment with a felony
criminal record, a lack of marketable skills, and the collateral
consequences. It makes an offender think about how they truly
define themselves as a person in society
II. Factors Bearing on The Problem Comment by Butch Beach:
On the task bar use the drop menu on the spacing icon and
select remove space after paragraph to get double spacing when
using the enter key.
It is important to understand the factors that lead towards
offenders that have obstacles when reentering society.
Offenders that have been released from prison usually have a
hard time adjusting and being a productive citizen. Comment by
Butch Beach: Eliminate the extra space; double space only
• There is a lack of a strong family support system;
prisoners rely heavily on their families to get support and to
come back into society as a need of virtual reintegration. The
stronger the relationship with the family when the prisoner is
released, it is essential towards the prisoner’s character
development with making the prisoner have a new experience of
the family against the prison experience. Comment by Butch
Beach: The factors should be presented as bullets..
• Most employers do not hire people with a criminal
conviction. because an employer doesn’t want an ex- prisoner’s
behavior to affect the business. Ex- prisoners who are able to
get higher paying jobs are more apt to change in their lives
compared to those prisoners who do not find adequate job
opportunities in society.
• There is a lack of vocational rehabilitation
opportunities in the prison systems. The prison systems need to
offer vocational training official to administer pre-employment
services to that works as a guide towards development.
• A lack of basic subsistence assistance contributes to
recidivism. Many states have banned those with felony
convictions from benefits such as food stamps, TANF, SSI, and
residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily.

Rules that bar those with a felony record from public and
subsidized housing may limit residence with friends and family
as well and increase the likelihood of homelessness.
It is assumed that if the prisoners are transitioning from
prison into society, the prison system have to focus on
providing services to the prisoner. It is assumed that the reentry
process should help prisoners with the survival needs (food,
housing, and employment) and skill- based services (treatment,
literacy, and job training).
III. Discussion
Offenders rely heavily on their families to be able to get the
support; they needed to be able to reenter into society in regard
to every respect that will suit their need of virtual reintegration
(Gideon, 2010). Offenders need the overall encouragement,
employment opportunities, shelter and any financial support, so
that they feel welcomed back into the society when such
interventions are met towards their experience. The stronger the
relationship in the family when the prisoner is released its
essential towards character development and also making the
offender have a new experience of the family against the prison
experience (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013). At this moment
considering all the factors it is important to understand how
incarceration affects the family and also at the same time
understand what incarcerations means to the inmate as serving
the sentence is just part of the whole experience. When
offenders are being held it affects the families, like it creates a
single-parent family if the other partner will be incarcerated for
some time. While such a dynamic can only be maintained if the
two partners work and continue to build the family relationships
as it has been established that more families develop better
relationships with the family members in jail.(source)
That might be the case, t The opposite might happen whereby
the inmate might does not have no any one to confide in,
especially in family members. Maybe because they had a bad
relationship before going to prison, or the family resents the
offender because they got themselves into prison. These are the

dynamics that need to be considered when looking at how
family relationships might help in improving reentry into the
society. Mainly because if an offender truly has something to go
back to, like going to raise their child/children or going back to
his family because they missed them and strive to put in proper
behavior to make sure that they do not go back to prison.
Additionally, family will help the offender reenter back into the
society smoothly through various activities like going to church
and meeting different people in the congregation, who might
give the recommendation for new jobs or hire them. The main
reason family has been emphasized is because the reentry is
getting back and fitting into the community, and in this case, it
is safe to say that family is the basic unit of the society or
community. If an offender wants to be reconnected with society,
they can reconnect through the community. As mentioned before
religion will play an important role, the family friends, the
friends and the community at large, will assist in the reentry.
Comment by Butch Beach: Luv personal opinions and
thoughts are not allowed; you will need to cite the source for all
of this…
When offenders are released, they are at high risk of
failing in securing job opportunities and attaining reasonable
economic security. The challenges that are faced by offenders
while trying to accept their behavioral aspects needs much
consideration by ensuring that they receive public assistance
and achieving financial security (Gideon & Sung, 2010). The
“reintegration perspective” focuses on social and economic
reintegration after release (Travis, 2004). This perspective
emphasizes entering the labor market and repairing and
renewing ties to family and community (Travis, 2004). In
addition, this perspective focuses on helping renew family ties
due to offender’s lengthy time in prison. For the most part, the
family needs to do a pre-release attendance to the offender’s
respondents to culminate a positive expectation from the society
after release (Hattery & Smith., 2010).
Supportive families, after the release of the offender, ’s makes

the reintegration process much better and more straightforward
in achieving the goal of the reentry process. As society looks
into with the reintegration perspective, it focuses on how an
offender can use this perspective to help with social and
economic reintegration and to help build social relationships
among society. When offenders are released from prison, they
feel complimented when society understands them, changing
their emotional aspect. Furthermore, it’s it is the duty of
respective family members to ensure their family members
receive family support both in and out of prison. Higher value
and attention may be realized in the life of the prisoner even
better than when they were incarcerated with adequate support.
Thus, the family is an essential factor towards influencing the
process of reentry (Hattery & Smith, 2010). Facing a
challenging environment makes many offenders released in
prison in the United States deter from the process of becoming
more actively involved in the society. The livelihood, social
connections, and residence of the offender make them get more
interconnected with the society through such aspects (Travis,
2004). As mentioned before, religion and other social
gatherings that the community might be involved in are
important to an offender. Such as if they go to religious places
with family, they will meet different people who will help them
to reenter successfully.(source)
In American society, people go in and out of prisons which has
contributed to increasing inequality in recent decades, primarily
by reducing opportunities for employment and lowering wages
among former prisoners, but also by decreasing the prevalence
of two-parent families (Western 2007). Psychological support of
the prisoner offender upon release benefits in the process of
having a polite society that will provide an excellent crime
prevention background even when the prisoners are faced with
life cycle problems. Effective interventions effectively make
prisoners have a further constituent commitment in the society.
Thus, an effective plan to integrate the prisoner and the
community is to have the family be the initial factor to

influence character and behavioral change of the prisoner
(Gideon., 2010).
When offenders are released, there is a high er percentage of
offenders, who come back into the society and fail to receive
federal correctional programs such as employmen, alsot fail to
maintain the process. After being released they encounter the
challenge of securing jobs and employment opportunities.
Society has the tendency to employ persons with no criminal
history because an employer doesn’t want an offender’s
behavior to affect the business (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013).
Additionally, social factors of which that include, lack of
family support, poor employment history, and also negative peer
influence results in prisoners not being accepted back into the
society and in not being able to secure employment. While
criminal conviction, may look like the main cause of
incarceration in the first place, it also contributes as an obstacle
of offender’s reentry into the society. Why is this? Criminal
conviction has an aspect know as collateral consequences; these
are aspects that affect the inmate’s life as long as they are
incarcerated. For instance, prohibition from voting, owning a
firearm among other serious collateral consequences that come
with criminal conviction. Offenders who have served time will
definitely find it difficult to reunite with their families and
definitely ineligible for most types of employment. Mainly
because their skills might have been outdated or the
employment environment does not exactly entertain the
employment of offenders.(source)
These obstacles hinder the ability of accessing public housing,
earning a living and enjoying a quality of life. Those obstacles
make s the offenders feel like life back in prison was better and
less stressful therefore luring offenders back to recidivism,
leading to an increased correctional cost to the judiciary. While
s Some of the collateral consequences are important and serve a
specific function to reducing the chance of recidivism. Like for
instance, if an inmate had the offence of armed robbery,
basically making it illegal for them to have a gun will be

helpful for them and the criminal justice system. Which also
goes for sex offenders, who has been prohibited to be sex
offender as a way of earning incoming will probably reduce the
chance of the ex-offender repeating the crime. A good example
is that the state of Texas prohibits an individual from serving as
an instructor a at a college or a career school. Therefore, if an
individual was an instructor then they would need new skills
(Blumstein and Nakamura, 2018). This a factor is unavoidable
which is result of criminal conviction, as aspect that might
inevitably have a solution.(source) Comment by Butch Beach:
Inaccurate statement—The Judiciary does not pay correctional
costsComment by Butch Beach: Relevance to job? Comment by
Butch Beach: Does not make sense?
Offenders who are able tocan acquire legitimate jobs are less
likely to face the challenge of recidivism. Those offenders who
are able to get higher paying jobs are more likely to have a
change in their lives compared to those offenders who do not
find good job opportunities in society (Cole, et.al.2018). For the
reentry programs to be successful the criminal justice system
should be ready to work with the society. This is a trend that
has been developing through the years. Most companies have
understood the obstacle of finding a job after incarceration and
know have turned to hiring offenders as part of inclusion
strategy. Although the jobs are not the nest best jobs, they pay
minimum wage and it will play an important role, before an
individual get back to their feet.(source)
After an offender has been released from prison through
employment will be able to maintain employment opportunities.
Therefore, it’s possible that the offender will avoid re-arrest
when the society accepts factors like, stable accommodations
and lack of substance battered associated problems. Also, it’s
identified that offenders need to have an influenced life in
which they will have their respective needs identified and met
with even specific services that they require in their life. Being
the most essential factor, employment opportunities, GED
accreditations, job training and also job vocational educations

will aid in the process of reentry (Gideon & Sung 2010).
Comment by Butch Beach: Rephrase, this sentence does
not make sense Comment by Butch Beach: Do you mean
unstable accomodations? Comment by Butch Beach: What is
this?
Additionally, cases of recidivism have are significantly reduced
as the offenders get legitimate employment opportunities upon
release. Participating in employment services also assists them
to be able to gain friends who are able to guide them through
the principle of responsibility in abiding the law. In addition,
society needs to let offenders receive life training lessons
randomly in aid of boosting the worker's egocentrism towards
facing life-challenging influences (Gideon & Sung 2010). Such
opportunities make it possible to have a timelier intervention
program that helps the prisoner make change. Legitimate job
opportunities play a vital role to seamlessly have a good
integration program that re-vitalizes the character development
process. It’s It is hard for the offender to have a change in life
when they are influenced back to crime through employees who
accept to have the same crime related behaviors such as the use
of drugs at the workplace and also smuggling of products from
worksites (Gideon & Sung 2010).
Within the prison system there needs to be employment-related
services readily made available to the offenders upon the time
that they get to work until they are released from prison.
(Travis, 2004). Such intervention, makes the offenders
adequately prepared in their skills, even when jailed, to improve
their ability before being released into the community once
again. Vocational assessments are essential towards having a
plan that basically revitalizes skill developments. The future
employment is constituent in readiness to train the prisoner
early and also to have a series of benchmarks that aid in the
program of character skill development (Cole, et., 2018).
It's more beneficial for the prisoner’s post-release necessities
through the pre-release procedures put in place at the prison
before release (Hattery A. & Smith E., 2010). Therefore, it is

essential to make employment easy for the prisoner then after
release to embark in the process acceptance into the society.
Positive influences will be realized when we have a concrete
and offenders get back to the process of securing jobs at the
employment sites (Gunnison E.& Helfgott J. B, 2013). APA
formatting Comment by Butch Beach: Need a second reader
for missing words
When an offender is released, they rely heavily on living
with their parents and siblings due to their criminal history.
Many states have banned those with felony convictions from
benefits such as food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and
residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily
(Travis, 2004). Rules that bar those with a felony record from
public and subsidized housing may limit residence with friends
and family as well, and increase the likelihood of homelessness
(Travis, 2004). Offenders upon release tend to be closer to the
mother than the father. Having contact with the mother provides
a sense of responsibility as mum mothers s always support their
children despite any negative aspects of their lives compared to
fathers with a higher margin (Gunnison E. & Helfgott J. B,
2013). Offenders typically don’t have any money, need
emotional support, and good advice can only be found in the
family better than the society. Moreover, when the family
makes frequent visits to the prison, it’s more likely the prisoner
to be more attached to them even when they have been released
(Travis, 2004).
Most families become worried about their family member being
sent back into prison, and after serving their sentence, they
strive for the success of their family member. Making the
family become more comfortable is always essential for the
criminals to pay back the time they spent away from the family
when they were in prison. Upon being jailed it’s easier for the
family to face health problems especially if a family member is
stressed up and gets information that the family members are
incarcerated. The emotional stresses make them contract

sickness like stroke when they are provided with messages
about their child’s arrest (Cole., et. 2018). Which is an expected
outcome when it is observed in different angles. The connection
with families is a significant part of the reentry, as it actually
acts a facilitator instead of the obstacle of reentry into the
community. This means that if the parents, or family member is
concerned about the inmate or the they actually fall sick from a
predisposing condition that was there before their family
member was incarcerated it will definitely persuade the inmate
to get on good behavior, while in prison and get released on
good behavior, or when they are released they will be able to
come and try their best to successfully enter the community so
that their the stress placed upon their family is reduced.(source)
this is related more to factor one than here
Most children always need to have their parents in their
life and alsoand to stay at home to avoid being subjected back
to prison. It’s evident that most family members become more
worried to have their counterparts fall into the same problem
that submitted them to be jailed (Cole, 2018). Therefore,
especially when the prisoner has been released the family and
siblings will always keep track of the offenders dealing and
daily movements. Upon exiting the houses, the family will still
have unanswered questions pertaining to their family members
who cannot get proper housing; especially makes the prisoner
become more concerned. Being with the family and living with
them is an initiative that makes the offender abstain from bad
companies that will influence them back into crime related
issues. Probation plays an integral role of abstaining from
drugs, and the likelihood of getting back into prison (Cole., et.
2018). The family will keep tabs on the offender to make sure
that they successfully reenter into the society. Mainly because if
that is not the case it will cost the family and not entirely
financially but, it can be mostly emotionally. Therefore, the
family will make sure that any obstacles that the prisoner might
face is out of their ways it will be cheaper to deal with the
situation in this perspective. Like the family will provide a roof

over their head, some money to keep them afloat before they
find a job, and definitely help them secure employment.
There is a strong relationship between maintaining string family
relationships and parole success, this is because the family is an
important component in making sure that individuals smoothly
transition from incarceration to reentry in the society. The
connection that the offender builds with the family which
encourages them to develop the need of being free so as to
finally spend more time with the family. This is particularly
when the offender has had more contact with family during their
sentence as compared to offenders who had less contact with
family. Strong family support encourages offenders through the
reentry program as, the offenders develop a sense of family
importance among the people who are incarcerated.
Additionally, family play important role such as financial
support as the individuals strive to enter into workforce which
is the most difficult aspect of the reentry.
Due to the offender’s status, they may be put on a higher
priority than most by their parole officer or their probation
officer. Having a poor credit status in the past can be influenced
when the family is involved in the process. A natural step can
be made in which the family member is given priority to have
the house and lease it back to the prisoner as a family initiative.
Therefore, it’s more likely when the offender gets housing back
in the poor and unsuitable environment they will reflect back to
living in prison. Thus, the housing situation makes them live in
environments that need to be upgrade back and have the
members receive a better good life later. Transitioning with the
help of the family becomes more beneficial in understanding the
prisoner and also to keep track of the behaviors that may
develop even after the release of the prisoner. It’s important for
the family to adjust on the adapting to family members despite
the negative characters of the family member (Gideon., 2010).
Comment by Butch Beach: This factor should be about
vocational rehabilitation it is not just more of factor one
In some cases, offenders may commit another crime within

months of release. Thus, imprisonment always breaks the ties
between the family and the community. Therefore, parole
supervision is initiated towards prisoners so that they can be
supervised out from the normal duty to stay at the prison but
rather be released in the society (Reamer, 2017). Parole
supervision may constitute the prisoner to be taken back to jail
due to the constant parole supervision. When conditions have
been administered to the offenders before being released back
into the society, prisoners always vow to stay by the rules and
conditions given at the prison. But also, it is important to
understand and look at the conditions that have been given for
the parole. Some conditions maybe not to leave the state within
a period of time, might be house arrest, or might be getting a
job. Well getting a job for a convict definitely will be difficult
looking at the biasness in employment here employees would
not hire an ex-convict, leading to the implementation of laws
such as “ban the box,” which was not a success rather it
increased the bias when it comes to hiring ex-convicts and
normal people. Comment by Butch Beach: Parole and probation
is not a stated factor
This critically shows that the inmate on parole has a high
chance of not fulfilling this requirement of finding a job,
because it is out of their power. This is what creates the
pressure for the offenders, because they understand time is
ticking and they need to get the job, but they are not able to
because of the underlying circumstances. Such stress factors
will lead to recidivism especially if the individual is not able to
handle stress properly. The slightest inconvenience may lead
them back to jail. Additionally, aspects like staying within the
state or house rest only requires discipline and patience. But
what if the offender does not have any family support, they do
not have proper way of supporting themselves and maybe there
is agency for offenders nearby. This definitely makes their live
very hard as compared to when they were incarcerated and an
individual who has nothing to lose will immediately prefer
going back to jail instead of living a life that is full of pressure

and stress, that is created create with circumstances that is out
of their control.
Parole investigations make prisoner imprison themselves back
due to a feeling that they are subjected to harsh conditions.
Despite the fact that offenders accept to undergo parole
supervision and requirements, it’s evident that some fail to
abide by the rules set and end up being imprisoned (Reamer,
2017). Being discharged on parole and overseeing judgments to
detainee’s dependent on the offense done influences detainees
to choose to depend without anyone else mind knowledge to
live. In this manner amusingly, the parolee needs to comply
with the terms and standards set while being discharged out of
jail. Before the parolee reenters into the general public, they
have to demonstrate their honesty by maintaining the conditions
set to indicate they will follow the law even after discharge.
Which is not easy as discussed before, mainly because some of
the parole requirements cannot be met by the parolee mainly
because they requirements are out of their hands. Meaning that
they will fail to abide, and with the parole investigations it will
deem them unfit to reenter into the society while in real sense
the environment created by the criminal justice requirements are
not just favorable. Therefore, what can be done is to look into
the redesigning of the parole system mainly the requirements
for release. As mentioned before each prisoner is unique, in the
sense of class, education level, financial ability, family
dynamics among other aspects that might affect their successful
reentry. Then it means that what will work for on individuals on
parole will not definitely work for the other individuals.
Therefore, an assessment of an individual’s abilities and life in
general, would help to come up with the proper requirements
that will make their life easier.
Depending on the violation made by the prisoner before the
arrest, the conditions set by the parole board or any officer
associated with their release. Thus, the prisoner is required to
comply with all laws enacted by the state and federal
governments. Upon being released on parole, the prisoner is

needed to stay by the state of his/her incarceration (Craig, et.,
2013). Furthermore, this is part of the requirement, having
steady employment and also maintaining their educational track
needs them too to make any reports to the parole officer on the
progress. Abstaining from any drug substances, changing of
address, and possession of firearms should always be a report
made to the parole officer (Craig, et., 2013).
As part of violating the parole conditions, the parolee should be
subjected to reincarnation due to their consequence. Thus, the
ex- prisoner will face new charge proceedings in regard to
offenses done after the parole was issued. Therefore, parole
officers have a great responsibility to ensure that the parolee
stays by the conditions and also when the parolee commits any
crime, he/she decides on what will happen to the parolee upon
arrest. Any evidence presented upon him or her needs to be
heard and also charges be based on the offense or crime
committed (Reamer, 2017).
IV. CONCLUSION
The obstacles that hinder reentry of offenders back to the
society are complex, in this case there need to be stringent or
complex remedies that will counter these obstacles. Basically,
the obstacles mostly come from the design of the system, like
for instance the offenders when they get into reentry they rely
on siblings and family to get back on their feet. In this period
the offenders try to get job, but at the same time they are
stigmatizing by society starting from the family, the community
and employers. What follows is that the offenders find a harsh
environment that is worse than their incarceration period. This
will lead to them committing anther crime that would send them
back to prison which is a peaceful life as compared to starting
anew life in a new environment. Additionally, some offenders
are released on parole, and at times the measure that come with
parole are very harsh that makes the offenders feel like, they are
still prisoners.
Taking for example an individual is released on house arrest for
a period of time, if the offender does not have family, savings,

or a job that can eb done at home then how will they survive.
This creates a stressful environment for the offenders and what
follows is they prefer to go back thus recidivism. Therefore, the
justice system should understand that the reentry programs in
place are not effective in getting rid of all these obstacles for
reentry. There should be measures that make sure the reentry
from the prison release to community is as smooth as possible
for the offenders so that they will be able to survive in the
community as based to the second chance act of 2007 (Burris &
Miller, 2017). What should be done is that the reentry
organization should start the reentry as early as possible,
immediately the prisoner is incarcerated. Additionally, the
reentry should be digitized since there are three realms (online,
prison and reentry) for an offender.
Action Recommended RECOMMENDATION
The action that should be taken is that the reentry should be
developed to start early in the incarceration. That is, when the
inmates are sentenced the reentry programs should start the
program for each inmate at this moment. This is because each
inmate is unique, according to their economic status, family
status, skills and abilities among other aspects that differentiate
them. Therefore, through having an insight for each individual
it will help to provide each one of them with the proper reentry
needs that will help them avoid recidivism. This is because a
more personalized recidivism, or customized recidivism will
help each individualeveryone to be in line with their previous
life, and along the same concept prisoners can be offered
training and education while in prison for those who lack skills
and reliable qualifications. Comment by Butch Beach:
Justify to the left margin
In the same line of better the reentry programs, the reentry
programs should be developed through evidence based provided
methods. Mainly because back then there were not enough
literature that looked at why reentry programs failed but at the
moment, there is enough literature that can be used to improve
the current reentry systems. Evidence based rejuvenation for

any program and system is the best thing that can happen. This
is because previous literature is from experts who dedicated
their study in the reentry and recidivism of prisoners have
recommendations and proper solutions that can be used to
improve this reentry system (Garot, 2019).
Starting early with the reentry program is recommended as it
will change the whole structure. As mentioned before all the
offenders are unique in different aspects, therefore there is no
way that the reentry programs can be “one size fits all,” every
individual is unique and should be provided with a customized
program that will fit into their personal life. Or in other words
to make this recommendation easier the offenders can eb be
placed into communities or groups that would serve under the
same reentry system. In the sense that the people with the same
qualification and skills can be provided with the same
community resources that will help them get back to their feet.
The groups can be of construction workers, bankers, manual
laborers and the list goes on. whereby this can be possible if the
offenders are registered, and their qualifications and skills
noted and therefore throughout their sentences the development
of their reentry is applied. This important mainly because the
most challenging obstacle is getting work or something to keep
the offenders occupied at reentry (Nham et al 2017).
Comment by Butch Beach: Indent all paragraphs
Finally, the reentry for prisoners, that whole concept has been
established to have three realms at the moment. The prison
realm, the reentry realm and the online realm. At the moment
almost every aspect in our societies have been digitized.
Therefore, it is redundant to create reentry programs that do not
embrace the online realm. All the three realms should be linked
to work in unison so that the reentry programs can be better
(Garot 2019). The reentry programs will benefit from the online
realms, as it will provide online jobs for the ex-inmates, like in
the case whereby house arrest is part of the parole, and offender
under reentry can engage in online jobs. Additionally, the
programs such as training or orientation can happen online and

it will make sure that the customized reentry training is possible
as it can offer in -person training. All that is important is
technology and it should be reintegrated in the reentry systems.
Eliminate the extra spaces
References
Burris, S. W., & Miller, J. M. (2017). Second Chance Act,
The. The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, 1-
4.
This encyclopedia talks about the second chance act of 2007,
which basically acts as guide of the reentry program in all the
states. It is useful as it helps to come up with various points,
that can be used in the evidence-based reconstruction of the
reentry systems. Comment by Butch Beach: Indent the entire
annotation to preserve the hanging indent.
Craig L. Dixon L. Gannon T. (2013). What Works in Offender
Rehabilitation: An Evidence Based Approach to Assessment and
Treatment. Hoboken, Wiley.
This comprehensive volume summarizes the contemporary
evidence base for offender assessment and rehabilitation,
evaluating commonly used assessment frameworks and
intervention strategies in a complete guide to best practice when
working with a variety of offenders. In addition, it presents an
up-to-date review of ‘what works ‘in offer assessment and
rehabilitation, along with discussion of contemporary attitudes
and translating theory into practice. Furthermore, includes
assessment and treatment for different offender types across a
range of settings.
Cole G. Smith C. E. DeJong C. (2018). The American System of
Criminal Justice. Cengage Learning.
This examines the criminal justice across several disciplines,
presenting elements from criminology, sociology, law, history,
psychology, and political science. Broad coverage of the facts,
uncompromising scholarship, an engaging writing style, and

compelling delivery of current events make the American
System of Criminal Justice, now in its 14th Edition, one of the
best books available for an in-depth look at the American
criminal justice system.
Reamer F. G. (2017) On the Parole Board: Reflections on
Crime, Punishment, Redemption and Justice. New York:
Columbia University Press.
Frederic G. Reamer, the author has judged the fates of
thousands of inmates within his twenty-four years on the Rhode
Island Parole Board. Mr. Reamer decides which inmates are
ready to reenter society and which are not. It is a complicated
choice that balances injury to victims and their families against
an offender's capacity for transformation.
Garot, R. (2019). Rehabilitation Is Reentry. Prisoner Reentry in
the 21st Century: Critical Perspectives of Returning
Home.Journal, website, what is this?
This resource is important as it helps to talk about the reentry
programs in the 21st century, it emphasizes on the fact that
reentry systems need to be digitized based on the three realms,
of prison, online and reentry.
Gunnison E. Helfgott J. B. (2013). Offender Reentry: Beyond
Crime and Punishment. Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner
Publishers.
Within this book the authors focus on the comprehensive
exploration of the core issues surrounding offender reentry.
Elaine Gunnison is a professor of Criminal Justice at Seattle
University as well as Jacqueline Helfgott. These authors
highlight the constant tension between policies meant to ensure
smooth reintegration and the social forces—especially the
stigma of a criminal record—that can prevent it from happening.
In addition, these authors focus on the factors that enhance
reentry success as they address challenges related to race, class,
and gender.
Gideon L. Sung H. (2010) Rethinking Corrections:
Rehabilitation, Reentry and Rehabilitation. Thousand Oaks:
Sage Publications.

These authors write about the challenges that convicted
offenders face over the course of the rehabilitation, reentry, and
reintegration process. Using an integrated, theoretical approach,
each chapter is devoted to a corrections topic and incorporates
original evidence-based concepts, research, and policy from
experts in the field, and examines how correctional practices are
being managed.
Hattery A. Smith E. (2010). Prisoner Reentry and Social
Capital: the Long Road to Reintegration. Lanham, Md:
Lexington Books.
Earl Smith is professor of sociology and the Rubin
Distinguished Professor of American Ethnic Studies at Wake
Forest University. Angela J. Hattery is professor of sociology at
Wake Forest University. Prisoner Re-entry and Social Capital
takes as its starting point interviews with twenty-five men and
women during the summer of 2008 about their experiences with
re-entering the 'free world' after a period of incarceration. By
analyzing the experiences of these men and women, Smith and
Hattery look in depth at the factors that inhibit successful re-
entry and illustrate some successes and failures.
Nhan, J., Bowen, K., & Polzer, K. (2017). The reentry
labyrinth: The anatomy of a reentry services network. Journal of
Offender Rehabilitation, 56(1), 1-19.
This article looks at the various aspects of reentry, basically it
looks ta the various, elements of reentry that makes it not as
successful as needed. Basically, focusing on the obstacle of
reentry. This article brings up the point of evidence-based
development of better reentry systems.
Travis J. Reentry and reintegration: New perspectives on the
challenges of mass incarceration. In: Patillo M, Weiman DF,
Western B, editors. Imprisoning America: The social effects of
mass incarceration. 2004. pp. 247–268.
In this article, they review the existing problems that are faced
with mass incarceration. The article provides an overview of the
prison boom and its attendant consequences. In addition, the
article reviews the literature on the effects of incarceration and

prisoner reentry on the communities from which prisoners are
removed and to which they return after release, followed by a
review of the literature on how neighborhood context affects the
process of prisoner reentry.
Western B. Punishment and Inequality in America. New York:
Russell Sage; 2007.
Bruce Western is a professor of Sociology at Princeton
University. The author focuses on the recent explosion of
imprisonment and the heavy costs on American society and
exacerbating inequality. In addition, this book focuses on the
profiles about the growth in incarceration came about and the
toll it is taking on the social and economic fabric of many
American communities.
I only count 11 total references of the needed 15. The
encyclopedia is not scholarly and there are some that is
impossible to recognize due to formatting. You need 15
scholarly references…
NR320-326 Mental Health Nursing
NR320-326 RUA Scholarly Article Review V2 11/06/2018
CS/el
Required Uniform Assignment: Scholarly Article Review
PURPOSE
The student will review, summarize, and critique a scholarly
article related to a mental health topic.
COURSE OUTCOMES
This assignment enables the student to meet the following
course outcomes.
• CO 4. Utilize critical thinking skills in clinical decision-

making and implementation of the nursing process for
psychiatric/mental health clients.
(PO 4)
• CO 5: Utilize available resources to meet self‐identified goals
for personal, professional, and educational development
appropriate to the mental
health setting. (PO 5)
• CO 7: Examine moral, ethical, legal, and professional
standards and principles as a basis for clinical decision‐making.
(PO 6)
• CO 9: Utilize research findings as a basis for the development
of a group leadership experience. (PO 8)
DUE DATE
Refer to Course Calendar for details. The Late Assignment
Policy applies to this assignment.
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE: 100 points
REQUIREMENTS
1. Select a scholarly nursing or research article (published
within the last five years) related to mental health nursing,
which includes content related
to evidence‐based practice.
*** You may need to evaluate several articles before you find
one that is appropriate. ***
2. Ensure that no other member of your clinical group chooses
the same article. Submit the article for approval.

3. Write a 2–3 page paper (excluding the title and reference
pages) using the following criteria.
a. Write a brief introduction of the topic and explain why it is
important to mental health nursing.
NR326 Mental Health Nursing
CS/el
b. Cite statistics to support the significance of the topic.
c. Summarize the article; include key points or findings of the
article.
d. Discuss how you could use the information for your practice;
give specific examples.
e. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the article.
f. Discuss whether you would recommend the article to other
colleagues.
g. Write a conclusion.
4. Paper must follow APA format. Include a title page and a
reference page; use 12‐point Times Roman font; and include
in‐text citations (use citations

whenever paraphrasing, using statistics, or quoting from the
article). Please refer to your APA Manual as a guide for in‐text
citations and sample reference
pages.
5. Submit per faculty instructions by due date (see Course
Calendar); please refer to your APA Manual as a guide for
in‐text citations and sample
reference pages. Copies of articles from any Databases, whether
PDF, MSWord, or any other electronic file format, cannot be
sent via the Learning
Management System (Canvas) dropbox or through email, as this
violates copyright law protections outlined in our subscription
agreements. Refer to
the “Policy” page under the Resource tab in the shell for the
directions for properly accessing and sending library articles
electronically using permalinks.
CS/el
DIRECTIONS AND ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA
Assignment
Criteria

Points % Description
Introduction 10 10 • An effective introduction establishes
the purpose of the paper.
• The introduction should capture the attention of the reader.
Article summary 30 30 Summary of article must include the
following.
• Statistics to support the significance of the topic
• Key points and findings of the article
• Discussion of how information from the article could be used
in your practice (give
specific examples)
Article critique 30 30 Article critique must include the
following.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the article
• Discussion of whether you would recommend the article to a
colleague
Conclusion 15 15 The conclusion statement should be well
defined and clearly stated. An effective
conclusion provides analysis and/or synthesis of information,
which relates to the main
idea/topic of the paper. The conclusion is supported by ideas
presented throughout the
body of your report.

Article Selection &
Approval
5 5 • Article is relevant to mental health nursing practice and
is current (within 5 years of
publication).
• No duplicate articles within the clinical group.
• Article submitted and approved as scholarly by instructor.
Grammar/Spelling/
Mechanics/APA
format
10 10 • Correct use of Standard English grammar and
sentence structure
• No spelling or typographical errors
• Document includes title and reference pages
• Citations in the text and reference page
Total 100 100
CS/el

GRADING RUBRIC
Assignment
Criteria
Outstanding or Highest
Level of Performance
A (92–100%)
Very Good or High Level of
Performance
B (84–91%)
Competent or Satisfactory
C (76–83%)
Poor, Failing or
Unsatisfactory Level of
Performance
F (0–75%)
Introduction (10

points)
• Introduction is present and
distinctly establishes the
purpose of paper
• Introduction is appealing and
promptly captures the
attention of the reader
10 points
• Introduction is present and
generally establishes the
purpose of paper
• Introduction has appeal and
generally captures the
attention of the reader
9 points
Introduction is present and
generally establishes the
purpose of paper
8 points
No introduction

0‐7 points
Article summary (30
points)
• Statistics presented strongly
support the significance of the
topic
• Key points and findings of the
article are clearly stated
• Thoroughly discusses how
information from the article
could be used in your practice
by giving two or more specific,
relevant examples
28‐30 points
• Statistics presented
moderately support the
significance of the topic
article are vaguely stated
• Adequately discusses how

by giving two or more specific,
relevant examples
26‐27 points
• Statistics presented weakly
topic
article are stated in a manner
that is confusing or difficult to
understand.
• Briefly discusses how
by giving examples that are
not specific, yet are relevant
23‐25 points
• Statistics presented do not
topic OR no statistics are
presented.

article are incorrectly
presented OR missing
• Briefly discusses how
by giving examples that are
neither specific, nor relevant
OR implications to practice
not discussed
0‐22 points
CS/el
Article critique (30
points)
• The strengths and weaknesses
are well‐defined and clearly
stated.
• Provides a thorough review of
whether or not they
recommend the article

28-30 points
are adequate and clearly
stated.
• Provides a general review of
whether or not they would
recommend the article
26-27 points
are brief and clearly stated.
• Provides a brief review of
whether or not they would
recommend the article.
23-25 points
are unclear or not stated.

• Provides an unclear or no
insight as to whether or not
they would recommend the
article.
0-22 points
.
Assignment
Criteria
A (92–100%)
Performance
B (84–91%)

C (76–83%)
Poor, Failing or
Performance
F (0–75%)
Conclusion (15
points)
• The conclusion statement is
well‐defined and clearly
stated.
• Conclusion demonstrates
comprehensive analysis or
synthesis of information from
the article.
• The conclusion is strongly
supported by ideas presented
throughout the body of the
paper.
15 points
general and clearly stated.

comprehensive analysis or
the article.
• The conclusion is strongly
paper.
13-14 points
general and clearly stated.
adequate analysis or synthesis
of information from the article.
• The conclusion is adequately
paper.
12 points
vague or not stated.
inadequate analysis or
the article.

• The conclusion is inadequately
paper.
0‐11 points
CS/el
Article Selection &
Approval
(5 points)
ALL Items MET
• Article is relevant to mental
health nursing practice and is
current (within 5 years of
publication).
• No duplicate articles within the
clinical group.
• Article submitted and
approved as scholarly by
instructor.
5 points
ONE item NOT MET

publication).
clinical group.
instructor.
4 points
2 or more items NOT MET
publication).
clinical group.
instructor.
0‐3 points
Assignment
Criteria

A (92–100%)
Performance
B (84–91%)
C (76–83%)
Poor, Failing or
Performance F
(0–75%)
Grammar/Spelling/
Mechanics/APA
Format
(10 points)
• References are submitted
with assignment.

• Used appropriate APA format
and are free of errors.
• Includes title and reference
pages.
• Grammar and mechanics are
free of errors.
10 points
with assignment.
and has one type of error.
pages.
• Grammar and mechanics have
one type of error.
9 points
with assignment.
and has two types of errors.

pages.
two types of errors.
8 points
• No references submitted with
assignment.
• Attempts to use appropriate
APA format and has three or
more types of errors.
pages.
three or more types of errors.
0‐7 points
CS/el
Total Points Possible = 100 points
COURSE OUTCOMESDUE
DATEREQUIREMENTSDIRECTIONS AND ASSIGNMENT

CRITERIAGRADING RUBRIC
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29 (2015) 43–48
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apnu
Research Paper
Chronic Sorrow: Lived Experiences of Caregivers of Patients
Diagnosed
With Schizophrenia in Butabika Mental Hospital, Kampala,
Uganda
Connie Olwit a,⁎, Seggane Musisi b, Sebalda Leshabari c,
Ingvar Sanyu d
a Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Makerere
University, Kampala, Uganda
b Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Mulago
Hospital, Makerere University College of Health Sciences,
Kampala, Uganda
c Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Salaam,
Tanzania
d Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
a b s t r a c t
During the experience of chronic sorrow, people feel emotional
discomfort, and hopelessness. It may progress to
pathological grief, depression or trigger some of the psychiatric
disorders in individuals who are vulnerable. The
study explored the experience of chronic sorrow among

caregivers of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. A
descriptive qualitative design using focus groups and indepth
interviews was used. Most caregivers experienced
chronic sorrow and identified trigger factors and coping
strategies. The findings may enlighten psychiatric nurses
in the care of mentally ill patients, caregivers and family
members. The results may also help policy makers to
prioritize mental health in the country.
© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Worldwide, severe mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder,
psychotic depression) take on a chronic course with frequent
relapses,
deterioration in function and a downward social drift (Caqueo-
Urízar,
Gutiérrez-Maldonado, & Miranda-Castillo, 2009; Nasr &
Kausar, 2009;
WHO, 2011; Yusuf & Nuhu, 2009). Severe mental illness (SMI)
is often
associated with lost economic production and inability to relate
with
loved ones (Eakes, 1995; Talwar & Matheithua, 2010). In low
income
countries like Uganda, mental illness is also often associated
with lack
of proper care resulting in gradual deterioration in social
functioning of
the individual and finally demanding total care (Aboo, 2011).
Family members are consequently challenged to assume
responsi-
bilities of taking care of individuals diagnosed with the SMI
such as
schizophrenia. The resulting grief which is experienced by the
family

and caregivers of the severely dysfunctional mentally ill has
been
described as chronic sorrow. Chronic sorrow has thus been
defined as
the “periodic recurrence of a permanent, pervasive sadness or
other
grief-related feeling associated with ongoing disparity resulting
from a
loss experience” (Eakes, Burke, & Hainsworth, 1998, p.180).
Chronic
sorrow has been explored in developed countries among family
caregivers especially parents caring for young children with
physical
or mental disorders (Burke, 1989; Clubb, 1991; Dammsch &
Perry,
1989; Fraley, 1986; Fraley, 1990; Golden, 1994; Hummel &
Eastman,
1991; Mallow, 1994; Olshansky, 1962; Phillips, 1991; Seideman
&
Kleine, 1995; Shumaker, 1995; Wikler et al., 1981).
Chronic sorrow may be viewed as a normal response to a major
loss.
However when complicated, it may progress to a pathological
grief
state, depression or complicated grief (Eakes et al., 1998;
Gordon,
⁎ Corresponding Author: Connie Olwit, MSN, BSN, RN.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (C. Olwit),
[email protected]
(S. Musisi), [email protected] (S. Leshabari), [email protected]
(I. Sanyu).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2014.09.007
0883-9417/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
2009). Grief, itself has been described as a central experience

by people
diagnosed with mental illness, their families or their friends
(Young,
Bailey, & Rycroft, 2004). There is limited information,
however, on the
experience of grief-related feelings of caregivers of mentally ill
patients,
especially in developing countries including Uganda. Chronic
sorrow
may trigger psychiatric disorder, such as depression, in
caregivers
with genetic vulnerability.
This study sought to explore chronic sorrow as an expression of
grief
as seen among the caregivers of patients diagnosed with
schizophrenia
in Butabika Mental Hospital in Uganda. Specifically, the study
was
designed to (i) describe the feelings, emotions and distresses
translating
as chronic sorrow among the caregivers of patients diagnosed
with
schizophrenia at Butabika Mental Hospital, Uganda; (ii)
identify the
triggers of chronic sorrow among these caregivers; and (iii)
identify
the coping strategies used by these caregivers. In the end
suggestions
were made regarding strategies that can be adapted by health
workers
in helping caregivers of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia
to cope
with their chronic sorrow.
METHODS

This study was conducted at the Butabika National Mental
Hospital
in Kampala, Uganda. Participants were recruited from the
outpatient
department and inpatient wards where relatives of patients came
to
visit the patients. Butabika Mental Hospital is the only national
psychi-
atric referral hospital in Uganda, a country of about 32 million
people.
It has a bed capacity of 900 and admits more than 6000 patients
with
mental health illnesses annually (Ministry Of Health, 2010).
The inter-
views were carried out in a room at the outpatient department
that
was specifically allocated to the researcher in order to provide
privacy
to the study participants.
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1016/j.apnu.2014.0
9.007&domain=pdf
mailto:[email protected]
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/
44 C. Olwit et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29 (2015)
43–48
The study employed a descriptive qualitative design using focus
group discussions (FGDs), and in-depth interviews. These two

data col-
lection methods were used in order to get more detailed
information
from the participants. There were 10 in-depth interviews and
two
FGDs. The FGDs were divided by sex as it has been reported
that the
experience of chronic sorrow differs in the two sexes (Atkinson,
1994;
Eakes, 1995). The focus group of female caregivers consisted of
7
members and that of the males consisted of 5 members. There
were 2
withdrawals from the male focus group discussion because of
the dete-
rioration of their patients' mental health illness and one
withdrawal
from the in-depth interviews because of a family emergency.
The care-
givers who participated in the in-depth interviews were
different from
those who participated in the FGDs.
The participants who were involved in the in-depth interviews
were
from the outpatient clinic while those who participated in the
focus
group discussions were visiting patients in the wards. The
sample size
was based on the principle of data saturation for qualitative
studies
where saturation is the point when no new or relevant
information is
emerging (Wood & Haber, 1994). In this specific study, chronic
sorrow
was defined as “periodic recurrence of a permanent, pervasive

sadness
or other grief-related feeling associated with ongoing disparity
resulting
from a loss experience” (Eakes et al., 1998). The loss
experience was
considered to be someone diagnosed with schizophrenia since it
is a
chronic illness with some disabling effects.
Ethical clearance was sought and obtained from the Muhimbili
University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) Ethical and
Publica-
tions Committee. Approval was obtained from Uganda National
Council
of Science and Technology (UNCST) for the research to be
carried out in
the country. Permission was then obtained from the Butabika
Mental
Hospital research committee before data collection was begun.
The
study participants were fully informed about the purpose of the
study,
the procedures of data collection as well as risks and benefits.
Confiden-
tiality was maintained throughout the research process.
Participation
was voluntary and the participants were told that they were free
to
withdraw their participation at any time without prejudice or
with-
drawal of medical services.
Purposeful sampling was employed so that the researcher was
able
to interview people who were knowledgeable about their
patients,

articulate and willing to talk at length so that details of the
feelings,
emotions and distress could be obtained. It is acknowledged
that, such
purposive sampling as a non-probability sampling technique
might
give less chance of obtaining a representative sample and hence
intro-
duce bias (Polit & Beck, 2006). Sampling was done with the
caregivers
who were caring for the patients who had been diagnosed with
schizo-
phrenia either at the outpatient clinic or those who had
inpatients at the
time of the study. The first 10 participants who consented to
participate
in the study were interviewed and the next participants were
scheduled
for the FGD.
The informants were selected if they were living with a patient
who
had been diagnosed with schizophrenia for more than 1 year;
and were
responsible for taking care of that patient; were at least 18 years
of age;
and were able to speak Luganda, the most commonly spoken
language
in the central region of Uganda.
Data Collection and Procedure
Ethical clearance and permissions were granted before the data
collection process commenced. A registered nurse (RN) was
trained to
be a research assistant. The research assistant identified

potential
participants and the researcher then explained the purpose of the
study including risks and benefits to the participants. Written
informed
consent from those willing to participate was obtained. Consent
included
permission for the interview to be audio taped. The study
participants
were told that the interview would take approximately 20–30
minutes.
The face to face in-depth interviews and the FGDs were
conducted in a
closed room ensuring privacy for the study participants.
Instruments and Study Variables
Socio-demographic characteristics including age, gender,
occupa-
tion, religion, marital status, relationship to the patient and
level of ed-
ucation were collected using a standardized questionnaire. The
face-to-
face in-depth interviews were guided by a modified version of
the
Burke/Eakes chronic sorrow questionnaire (Burke/NCRS, 1998)
which
was first piloted among 3 caregivers who were not included in
the
study. It was then modified accordingly before data collection.
The mod-
ifications that were made involved the social demographics in
order to
fit the setting in Uganda and part (V) and (VI) stated below
were
added to the questionnaire. The Burke/NCRCS (Caregiver
Version) con-
sists of 16 open-ended questions for caregivers and was

translated into
Luganda. This questionnaire is designed to evaluate (i) the
occurrence of
chronic sorrow, (ii) the intensity of the sorrow, (iii) milestones
at which
chronic sorrow occurs, (iv) the individualized coping factors,
(v) advice
given by caregivers and (vi) advice care givers would give to
healthcare
professionals. The tool was modified with the help of two
experts: one
in qualitative study design and another senior researcher.This
tool has
not been validated in the Ugandan setting although it is the
ideal tool
to explore the phenomenon of chronic sorrow. For the focus
group dis-
cussions, the following questions were asked: (i) Describe the
feelings
and emotions that you experience when caring for your patient?
(ii) What distresses do you encounter that bring back the
sadness and
grief related feelings when caring for your patient? (iii) What
do you
do to overcome these distresses? (iv) What can health workers
do in
order to help you deal with the feeling, emotions and the
distresses
you encounter?
During the interviews, the non-verbal communication of study
par-
ticipants was noted in a note book. On completion of the
discussions/in-
terviews, the study participants were thanked for participating
in the

study and were reassured that all the information and their
contacts
or their identities would remain confidential. The memory card
and
note books were then locked up in the box until they were
transcribed
and translated from Luganda to English. The taped focus group
discus-
sions were transcribed and then translated from Luganda to
English.
There were four questions that were discussed, these involved
describ-
ing feelings, emotions and distresses that the caregivers
experienced;
the coping strategies they used and finally the advice they
wanted to
give the health workers.
Data Analysis
Data were analyzed using the content analysis technique
described
by the Graneheim and Lundman (2004) framework for both in-
depth
interviews and focus group discussions. Audio taped in-depth
inter-
views were transcribed verbatim and translated to English.
These
were then typed directly into a Microsoft word program. The
infor-
mants' words were captured word for word and were checked
against
the recorded interviews to ensure no information was missed.
The in-
terview transcripts were printed out for ease of analysis. The
interviews

were read several times to obtain the sense of the scripts and the
text.
The caregivers' experiences were brought into one text, which
consti-
tuted the unit of analysis. The texts were divided into condensed
mean-
ing units, abstracted and labeled with codes. The codes were
compared
based on similarities and differences and sorted into categories
and sub
categories. Finally, the categories were formulated into themes
which
were documented.
Trustworthiness
To increase the credibility of the study, the researcher included
two
different methods of data collection where participants with
various
perspectives for example various genders were involved. This
contrib-
uted a richer variation of the phenomenon. The time that was
taken to
build rapport and trust with informants was sufficient. This
helped the
45C. Olwit et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29 (2015)
43–48
participants to feel at ease and shared their experiences freely
and in
depth. There was also persistent observation during the
interviews to
cross check whether the body expressions were persistent with

information that was being shared. Data source triangulation
was also
used in the study in order to improve credibility. Member
checks were
also done after the data were collected and analyzed. Some of
the
study participants were called back, the findings were shared
with
them and they reacted to them. Some of the member checks
were
done at the end of the interviews by summarizing the
information
shared the participant.
To facilitate transferability, a clear and distinct description of
charac-
teristics of study participants, data collection and process of
analysis
was done. A rich and vigorous presentation of the findings with
appro-
priate quotations was done.
RESULTS
Socio-Demographic Characteristics
There were 8 males and 14 females who participated in the
study di-
vided up as three males and seven females in the in-depth
interviews
and five males and seven females in the focus group
discussions. In
terms of the relationship of the participants to the patients, 5
were
spouses, 9 siblings, 6 parents (mothers) and 2 children. Their
mean

age was 38 years with range from 21 to 68 years. For the in-
depth inter-
views 7 of the participants had income generating activities
while 3 did
not have. After data analysis, the following themes came up,
experience
of chronic sorrow, trigger factors, coping mechanisms,
helpful/not help-
ful situations and caretakers' suggestions.
The Experience of Chronic Sorrow
In-Depth Interviews
The presence or absence of chronic sorrow was determined from
the
participants' responses on the Burke/Eakes chronic sorrow
question-
naire (Burke/NCRS). Nine of the 10 (90%) participants in the
in-depth
interviews had experienced chronic sorrow. They described a
range of
grief-related feelings associated with the initial knowledge of
their rel-
ative being diagnosed with schizophrenia. These participants
recounted
numerous situations and circumstances over time where those
feelings
were re-experienced. Caregivers who experienced chronic
sorrow re-
ported grief-related feelings to be on and off over a prolonged
period
of time. Five of the nine participants who evidenced chronic
sorrow
cried during the in-depth interview exhibiting an expression of
the

overwhelming emotion which they had. A 26 year old daughter
whose mother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia 18 years
previ-
ously vividly stated:
I feel very sad, I feel pain, and I feel like crying (cries). This
sadness
comes and goes, but it can never go away unless when God
decides
and I know that she is gone; she is gone. If it's not that, I will
always feel
sad. (Daughter caretaker, in-depth interview)
Another example was expressed by a single mother who had a
mentally ill son. She said:
At times I would cry to God wondering how long these
problems were
going to last. I would think it was better to die and leave this
world than
watch my child in that state (Mother caretaker, in-depth
interview)
When the participants were asked to recall the feelings they
experi-
enced when they first realized that their relative was mentally
ill, they
described a variety of feelings including sadness, shock,
confusion, de-
spair, fear, devastation, pain, anger. An example of these
feelings was
expressed by a 42 year old single mother who had a son who
was diag-
nosed with schizophrenia 2 years previously. She said:
I felt so bad, so sad. I am a single mother and this child has
been helping

me. I was so devastated. People said he was bewitched and
others said
probably it was because of cannabis, I was in a state of
confusion.
(Mother, caretaker, in-depth interview)
The most prevalent feelings expressed by the caregivers in
describing both their initial reactions to the relative's mental
illness
and the feelings experienced periodically over the course of
their
relative's illness were those of “sadness, feeling bad,
devastation and
frustration”. A 29 year old lady whose elder sister was
diagnosed with
schizophrenia in 2005 said:
I felt really bad because it was something that had never been in
our
family and we were wondering where it was coming from. I felt
so
devastated (cries).” “What increases my sadness is her lack of
acceptance.
I want to help her, be there for her but probably because I am
younger she
doesn't want help from me yet I know she needs help. That
saddens me.
(Sister, caretaker, in-depth interview)
Focus Group Discussions
The feelings and emotions expressed in the FGDs were similar
to
those expressed in the individual in-depth interviews. Among
the 12
caregivers who participated in the FGDs, feelings of sadness

were
cited most frequently followed by stress disturbances, anger and
emo-
tional pain/anguish. Other reported grief-related feelings
included feel-
ings of devastation, fear, worry, frustration, confusion and
shock. For the
majority of the participants, the intensity of these grief-related
feelings
was reported to be more intense at the beginning when they first
learnt
of their relatives' mental illness of schizophrenia. Eight out of
the nine
who evidenced chronic sorrow experienced these more intense
grief-
related feelings at the beginning with only one participant who
experi-
enced them many years later. Some of the caregivers compared
their
feelings to the feelings somebody would have if they lost a
loved one.
However, after taking their relative to hospital and knowing that
the
symptoms could be somewhat controlled with medication they
had
some hope with time and with lessening of the intensity of
feelings
even when there were triggers.
Trigger Factors
In-Depth Interviews
Caregivers reported grief-related feelings characteristic of
chronic
sorrow triggered by many factors. These factors fell into the

following
categories: unending care giving; patient's change in behavior;
manage-
ment of crises; society reaction to the mental illness; and
missed com-
panionship. Unending care giving included frequent and lengthy
hospitalizations, recurring symptoms, excessive use of their
energy
and/or time, financial constraints, overwhelming responsibility,
and los-
ing their independence. The second category was ‘change in
behavior’ of
the patient which included refusal to go to hospital, refusal to
take med-
ications, and resentment. The third category of ‘society reaction
to the
mental illness’ included beating or mistreating the mentally ill,
abandoning the mentally ill, and wrong
perceptions/misconceptions
about mental illness resulting in stigma. Management of crises
was re-
ported by many of the caregivers who said it was saddening to
see
their relatives relapse or experiencing side effects from
medication
which they had trusted would improve the illness with time.
Focus Group Discussions
During the FGDs, caregivers reported several factors causing
them
distress when taking care of their mentally ill relatives. The
most fre-
quent factors were in the category of unending care giving and
society's
reaction to mental illness. Under ‘unending care giving,’

participants
identified frequent relapses and unrelenting symptoms, lack of
43–48
resources and the impact on family members, the latter
including fear
of the unknown, unpredictability, personal safety and thinking
of the
future. Societal reaction to mental illness according to
participants
involved abandoning the mentally ill which would result in
them
wandering on streets, society's perceptions misconceptions of
mental
illness often resulting in stigma and putting additional pressure
on the
caregivers. The seven caregivers pointed out general health
workers as
the most stressing factor. This was well captured from one of
the mem-
ber in the male FGD who stated that:
Health workers are the most painful thing for me. It's true we
have
patients who make us sad but health workers make us
sadder.(Participant,
male FGD).
Among the most frequently reported distressing factors were
communications-related. The caretakers wanted healthcare
workers
to show understanding and flexibility when dealing with their
relatives

with schizophrenia. Poor communication involved long waiting
hours when the caregivers came with their patients for reviews,
mis-
communication with appointments, no timely communication of
any
problems/emergencies, poor means of communication, and
miscom-
munication from students without supervision and poor
customer
care. There were 15 citations related to communication issues
from
seven members from FGDs and two in-depth interviews. Below
is an ex-
ample of what one male FGD member stated:
…a nurse comes with files, speaks English then you request her
to repeat
in Luganda (local language) so that you understand well but you
then
see her in another mood, she becomes angry, quarrels. Then
what
happens because you didn't understand English, your patient's
file
comes and you don't get to know. They read your name and you
do
not hear, so other people come and leave you there… That thing
makes
me feel sad, angry, I feel very bad! (Participant, male FGD)
Coping Mechanisms
Participants in FGDs were asked to state what they do to
overcome
stressors in order to feel better. Their responses were
categorized into
the following: interpersonal strategies, action oriented

activities, cogni-
tive and emotional strategies.
Interpersonal strategies included talking to other people who
showed understanding, looking for support from surrounding
people,
sharing with a friend in the same situation, listening to
encouraging pro-
grams on radio, watching television (TV), reading encouraging
words
(like from the Bible), going to church and praying (trusting and
having
faith in God). Action oriented activities included watching
movies, TV,
listening to the radio, doing chores, and sports. Many caregivers
turned
to religion for answers. Almost all of them identified God as the
solution
to their problems and worries. Many of them resorted to
prayers,
trusting God and their faith. Emotional coping included crying,
avoid-
ance (taking short breaks like moving away from home
temporarily),
and keeping feelings to oneself. Crying was often observed
during the
in-depth interviews and FGDs. Four of the nine caregivers who
scored
positive for chronic sorrow on the Burke/NCRS questionnaire
cried dur-
ing the interviews and one did during the female FGD. The
cognitive
strategies included burden acceptance and positive thinking
which
were used by two of the nine caregivers who scored positive for
chronic

sorrow on the Burke/NCRS questionnaire.
Helpful/Not Helpful Situations
Most caregivers reported relatives and friends to be helpful
during
tough and emotionally laden situations. The friends ranged from
neighbors, church members, age mates/peers and community
leaders.
The relatives ranged from husbands, brothers, sisters, parents,
aunts
and uncles. The caregivers reported they were helpful in terms
of
offering sympathy, consoling and comforting as well as
counseling,
giving company, advising and seeking alternative solutions
including
divine healing in church. Health workers were reported to be
helpful
in terms of providing medication to reduce on the symptoms and
to
reduce hospitalization frequency especially with severe
symptoms.
The most frequently reported useful help from health-workers
was
providing medication. Two of the nine caregivers who scored
positive
for chronic sorrow reported health-workers being friendly and
encouraging and one caregiver from the female FGD felt health-
workers were welcoming and willing to help. However the
majority
of the caregivers reported healthcare workers as being a big
source of
triggers of chronic sorrow.
Unhelpful factors were reported to be stigma, cracking negative

jokes about mental illness and laughing when the relative got
sick.
The police were also identified as being unhelpful when they
were
needed most especially when support was needed to bring the
patients
to hospital or when they were potentially dangerous to the
others. The
health system was seen as frustrating, hectic and many times not
user friendly and not understanding of the handicaps occasioned
by
mental illness.
Caregivers' Suggested Recommendations
Caregivers were asked what the health workers could do to help
them deal with the feelings, emotions and distresses brought on
by feel-
ings of chronic sorrow. The caregivers responded with the
following
themes; showing understanding, health education, and
community
sensitization as well as communication, counseling, resources,
accessi-
ble services and follow up visits. Showing understanding,
counseling
and health education were the most frequently cited
recommendations.
Under health education several topics were suggested with the
most
common being increasing awareness by teaching about mental
illness;
how to handle mentally ill patients; what to do in case of a
mental
health emergency; and expectations while caring for the
patients.

Community sensitization included educating the community
about
mental illness, their expected responsibilities, and changing
their nega-
tive perception regarding mental illness. Resources involved
availability
of drugs, facilitation of health workers, and involvement of the
police.
Lastly on the theme of communication, caregivers cited a
variety of con-
cerns which needed improvement such as customer care, proper
and
timely communication.
DISCUSSION
Our sample of 22 participants was small but representative of
the
feelings of caretakers for the severely mentally ill attending the
national
mental referral hospital. There were more females than males
because
the females, in this country, generally take up the role of care-
giving/
caretaking. It is the females who stay with the patients at home,
take
them to hospital and stay with them in the hospital while the
men go
looking for money which they provide to facilitate the care
giving.
This is not unusual in African communities with patrilineal
kinship sys-
tems, Uganda inclusive.
Nine out of ten participants (90%) scored positive for chronic
sorrow. This prevalence of chronic sorrow is similar to findings

by
other researchers among people experiencing different types of
losses.
For example among the studies that were carried out by Nursing
Consortium for Research on Chronic Sorrow (NCRCS), out of
98 persons,
87 (88%) evidenced chronic sorrow (Burke, Eakes, &
Hainsworth, 1999).
Olwit and Jarlsberg (2014) had similar findings (88%) among
the people
with facial disfigurement in Uganda experienced chronic
sorrow. The
intense emotional experiences of chronic sorrow in this study
are con-
sistent with findings in the Western world; consisting of
confusion, sad-
ness, devastation, anger, fear and worry (Eakes, 1995). In
another study,
Eakes et al. (1998) found that the intensity of these feelings
varied from
person to person. This could be because of the mixture of the
study
47C. Olwit et al. / Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 29 (2015)
43–48
sample, because grief-related feelings change with time, being
more in-
tense at the beginning when caretakers experience disbelief,
shock, con-
fusion and devastation but which later on abates with time.
This,
therefore points out the importance of health workers taking
time to
talk to the caregivers especially with newly diagnosed patients

in hospi-
tal. This helps caretakers express their emotions/feelings and
clear out
any misperceptions as health-workers provide them with health
education about mental illness and help them to develop
positive
coping strategies.
Regarding triggers that produce feelings of chronic sorrow, the
most
predominant were in the themes of unending care giving, change
in be-
havior, societal reaction to mental illness and management of
crises.
Similar to the findings of Burke et al. (1999), our findings are
not sur-
prising because schizophrenia is a chronic mental condition,
with pa-
tients often relapsing and, portraying odd behaviors and
mannerisms
to the chagrin of the caregiver. Hospitalization triggered severe
chronic
sorrow emotions in the caregivers, a finding similar to Roick,
Heider,
Toumi, and Angermeyer (2006) where caregivers of patients
diagnosed
with schizophrenia showed high levels of stress upon their
relatives
being re-hospitalized again and again although in this study,
hospitali-
zation was viewed as helpful as patients received treatment in
hospital
and got better. Our caretakers experienced excessive use of
energy and
time as well as financial strain, findings which were termed as
objective

burdens by some researchers (Caqueo-Urízar et al., 2009;
Idstad, Ask, &
Tambs, 2010). Societal reaction to the mental illness of
schizophrenia
was negative and often suggesting stigma similar to findings by
several
other researchers (Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003; Buizza,
Schulze,
Bertocchi, Rossi, & Pioli, 2007; Young et al. 2004).
Our caregivers' coping strategies (interpersonal, action oriented,
emotional and cognitive) were similar to those reported by
Hainsworth
(1996) and Eakes (1995). However, our caregivers used more
internal
strategies than external ones contrasting with findings by Olwit
and
Jarlsberg (2014) who found that facially disfigured people who
experi-
enced chronic sorrow used more external coping strategies than
inter-
nal. This could be because of the discrimination and stigma that
surrounds mental illness in the communities in Uganda. It is,
therefore,
not surprising given Ugandan society's negative perception of
mental ill-
ness (Buizza et al. (2007). These findings imply that effort is
needed to in-
crease awareness of mental health and curtail society's
perceptions and
misperceptions regarding mental illness in the communities.
Finally, healthcare workers were reported by caregivers to be
helpful
during the whole experience, in terms of providing medication
to re-

duce the symptoms although they were often reported to have
poor
communication and the mental health systems' similarly
reported by
Eakes (1995). The police were also identified as being
unhelpful as
they did not seem to know their role in the mental health
system.
Limitations
This was a study confined to one SMI, schizophrenia. Moreover
the
study took place in urban setting in Central Uganda. The
findings in
the research may therefore not be representative of the all
population
of caregivers of schizophrenic patients in Uganda.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that caregivers of patients diagnosed with
schizo-
phrenia experienced chronic sorrow as defined by Eakes et al.,
1998. The
common triggers that lead to feelings of chronic sorrow were
related to
the themes of unending care giving, change in behavior, societal
reaction to mental illness and management of crises. Health
workers
were reported by the caretakers to be unhelpful especially when
it
came to communication. Caregivers in this study felt there were
wrong community perceptions about mental health and much
stigma
in Ugandan society. The police were also reported as not be

cooperative
when approached to help in containing aggressive patients. The
different coping strategies employed by the caregivers included,
inter-
personal strategies e.g. sharing feelings with others, reading and
praying, action oriented activities e.g. sports, working, and
watching
movies, emotional strategies e.g. crying, avoidance and
cognitive strate-
gies e.g. burden acceptance and positive thinking.
There is a need for nurses to assess the coping mechanisms used
by
the caregivers, and re-enforce positive strategies and offer time
to the
family members of mentally ill patients to express their feelings
and
finally provide health education to the public on mental health
related
issues in effort to reduce stigma or and discrimination and
creating
awareness of their role in mental health.
Lastly, ongoing research is needed regarding chronic sorrow in
different situations of loss in developing countries because it
helps health workers understand better what loss victims and
family
members go through and it guides in the care given.
Acknowledgment
My sincere thanks to the sponsor, Norwegian government
through
NOMA project for their financial support that enabled this
research to
be carried out. Special thanks my family members and friends
for

being understanding and supportive throughout this period.
Thanks to
the almighty God for bringing us this far, without him this
would not
have happened.
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1/rf2500Chronic Sorrow: Lived Experiences of Caregivers of
Patients Diagnosed
With Schizophrenia in Butabika Mental Hospital, Kampala,

UgandaMethodsData Collection and ProcedureInstruments and
Study VariablesData AnalysisTrustworthinessResultsSocio-
Demographic CharacteristicsThe Experience of Chronic
SorrowIn-Depth InterviewsFocus Group DiscussionsTrigger
FactorsIn-Depth InterviewsFocus Group DiscussionsCoping
MechanismsHelpful/Not Helpful SituationsCaregivers'
Suggested
RecommendationsDiscussionLimitationsConclusionAcknowledg
mentReferences
OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY 1
OBSTACLES FOR OFFENDERS REENTRY BACK INTO
SOCIETY 15
Obstacles for Offender’s Reentry Into Society

I. The Problem
There is a major concern, among criminal justice
professionals, in regard, to the unsuccessful reentry of inmates
into civilian life after incarceration which leads to high rates of
recidivism. The unsuccessful reentry is due largely to the
stigma, inability to obtain gainful employment with a felony
criminal record, a lack of marketable skills, and the collateral
consequences. It makes an offender think about how they truly
define themselves as a person in society
II. Factors Bearing on The Problem
It is important to understand the factors that lead towards
offenders that have obstacles when reentering society.
Offenders that have been released from prison usually have a
hard time adjusting and being a productive citizen.
• There is a lack of a strong family support system;
prisoners rely heavily on their families to get support and to
come back into society as a need of virtual reintegration. The
stronger the relationship with the family when the prisoner is
released, it is essential towards the prisoner’s character
development with making the prisoner have a new experience of
the family against the prison experience.
• Most employers do not hire people with a criminal
conviction. because an employer doesn’t want an ex- prisoner’s
behavior to affect the business. Ex- prisoners who are able to
get higher paying jobs are more apt to change in their lives
compared to those prisoners who do not find adequate job
opportunities in society.
• There is a lack of vocational rehabilitation opportunities in
the prison systems. The prison systems need to offer vocational
training official to administer pre-employment services to that
works as a guide towards development.
• A lack of basic subsistence assistance contributes to

recidivism. Many states have banned those with felony
convictions from benefits such as food stamps, TANF, SSI, and
residence in public housing, either permanently or temporarily.
Rules that bar those with a felony record from public and
subsidized housing may limit residence with friends and family
as well and increase the likelihood of homelessness.
It is assumed that if the prisoners are transitioning from
prison into society, the prison system have to focus on
providing services to the prisoner. It is assumed that the reentry
process should help prisoners with the survival needs (food,
housing, and employment) and skill- based services (treatment,
literacy, and job training).
III. Discussion
Prisoners rely heavily on their families to be able to get the
support; they need to be able to renter society in regard to every
respect that will suit their need of virtual reintegration (Gideon,
2010). Prisoners need the overall encouragement, employment
opportunities, shelter and any financial support, so that they
feel welcomed back into the society when such interventions are
met towards their experience. The stronger the relationship in
the family when the prisoner is released its essential towards
character development and also making the prisoner have a new
experience of the family against the prison experience
(Gunnison & Helfgott , 2013).
When prisoners are released, they are at high risk of failing in
securing job opportunities and attaining reasonable economic
security. The challenges that are faced by prisoners while trying
to accept their behavioral aspects needs much consideration by
ensuring that they receive public assistance and achieving
financial security (Gideon & Sung, 2010). The “reintegration
perspective” focuses on social and economic reintegration after
release (Travis, 2004). This perspective emphasizes entering the
labor market and repairing and renewing ties to family and
community (Travis, 2004). In addition, this perspective focuses
on helping renew family ties due to ex-prisoner’s lengthy time
in prison. For the most part, the family needs to do a pre-release

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