“I’ve Risen Up From the Ashes That I Created”: Record Clearance and Gendered Narratives of Self-Reinvention and Reintegration

• Published date: 01 April 2019
• Date: 01 April 2019
• Author: Elsa Y. Chen,Ericka B. Adams
• DOI: 10.1177/1557085117733796
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085117733796

Feminist Criminology

2019, Vol. 14(2) 143 –172

© The Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/1557085117733796

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Article

“I’ve Risen Up From the

Ashes That I Created”:

Record Clearance and

Gendered Narratives of Self-

Reinvention and Reintegration

Elsa Y. Chen1 and Ericka B. Adams2

Abstract

Record clearance allows some individuals to redesignate or remove certain minor

convictions from their criminal records. This interview-based study finds that both

men and women seek opportunities for personal gain through record clearance, but

women are more motivated by moral and religious influences and concern about

reputation. Women are also more likely than men to acknowledge personal flaws,

and to desire to replace criminal identities with law-abiding identities. As women

redefine their identities, caregiving is especially important as a personal obligation and

professional aspiration. Record clearance is particularly compatible with women’s

motivations, willingness to change, and personal and professional goals.

Keywords

expungement, record clearance, criminal records, reentry, reintegration

Introduction

About 25% of all adults in the United States have had state or federal criminal convic-

tions (Jacobs, 2015). A criminal record can significantly impede efforts to obtain hous-

ing, jobs, educational advancement, and certain welfare benefits. The inability to access

these resources, in turn, can damage family relations and make successful desistance

from crime especially challenging (Adams, Chen, & Chapman, 2017). The proliferation

1Santa Clara University, CA, USA

2San José State University, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Elsa Y. Chen, Department of Political Science, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara,

CA 95053, USA.

Email: echen@scu.edu

733796FCXXXX10.1177/1557085117733796Feminist CriminologyChen and Adams

research-article2017

144 Feminist Criminology 14(2)

of criminal records is one consequence of the era of mass incarceration, particularly the

War on Drugs, which brought rapid growth in the number of female prisoners and parol-

ees (Bui & Morash, 2010; Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2015; Petersilia, 2003). Men have

always outnumbered women in prison and parolee populations, but from 1980 to 2014,

the population of incarcerated women grew more than sevenfold, from 26,378 in 1980

to 215,332 in 2014, outpacing the growth in the male prison population by more than

50% (The Sentencing Project, 2015). There are important differences between female

and male correctional populations, and by extension, between women and men reenter-

ing society with criminal records. Compared with men, women are much more likely to

have been convicted of drug offenses and less likely to have committed violent offenses,

and they are more likely to have been addicted to drugs or alcohol (Mears & Cochran,

2014). Women’s incarceration histories also differ from men’s, with women on average

having been convicted of less serious offenses and incarcerated for shorter periods

(Lalonde & Cho, 2008). In addition, women are more likely to have custody of their

children prior to incarceration, less likely to receive support from romantic partners

while incarcerated, and more likely to face the stigma associated with being a “bad

mother” and difficulty reunifying with their children upon release (Dodge & Pogrebin,

2001). These differences between men and women warrant a closer examination of the

strategies for successful reintegration after conviction for women and for men.

Research on reintegration of formerly convicted persons (FCPs) has focused pri-

marily on males, rather than including both men and women. Likewise, reentry pro-

grams tend to be designed in ways that are responsive to the behaviors and needs of

men, rather than considering gender differences (Bloom, Owen, & Covington, 2004;

Herrschaft, Veysey, Tubman-Carbone, & Christian, 2009). Policies based on a more

thorough and nuanced understanding of the factors that influence women’s efforts to

reintegrate into society could have important implications for FCPs, their families and

communities, the labor force and economy, and public safety.

The current study combines rigorous quantitative and qualitative analyses of data

from participants in a program designed to expunge offenses from their criminal

records. Unlike the samples that form the basis of most prior studies, our sample

includes roughly equal numbers of male and female participants. We find significant

differences between men’s and women’s narratives of their experiences as they seek to

overcome obstacles associated with their criminal backgrounds. Furthermore, this

study focuses on a policy approach, record clearance, that has received scant empirical

attention. Record clearance is important because it targets persons with lower-level

offenses, who make up the vast majority of ex-convicts, and whose quality of life,

productivity, and ability to contribute to their families and communities could be

greatly improved with modest investments in appropriate programs intended to facili-

tate their efforts to move beyond their criminal histories.

Identity Change and Reintegration After Incarceration

The literature on prisoner rehabilitation, reentry, and reintegration includes several

widely employed theoretical frameworks that contribute to an understanding of how