Young adult ex-offenders’ experiences of the transition from incarceration to their families in a rural community

The Department of Correctional Services in South Africa views the social reintegration of offenders as vital to their return to society as law-abiding citizens. However, research into the experiences of young adult ex-offenders during family reintegration in rural areas in South Africa is limited. Evidence shows that re-entry in rural contexts is difficult, and societal expectations at this life stage heighten the risk of maladjustment and reoffending. Seven young adult male ex-offender volunteers from the Sekhukhune district, Limpopo, who returned to their families after incarceration were self- and purposively selected for the study, during which their experiential meanings attributed to their reintegration into their families, benefits and challenges were described and interpreted. A qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis research design was adopted for the study, and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. Data were analysed following the IPA data analysis guidelines, and the emerged themes were grounded in the concept of person–family fit. The findings show that the process of family re-entry was an emotional rollercoaster for the participants post their incarceration. While they experienced a second chance in the form of returning home, family support, and interdependency in the family, they also encountered obstacles such as not being trusted, name-calling, intolerance, contrasting roles post incarceration, and unemployment. The findings have implications for a systems approach to forming formal partnerships and continuous deliberations among the family, correctional centres, other government departments and employers both during and following incarceration.