Reintegration of Ex-Offenders Convicted of Violent Crimes into the Community in the Iranian Context: A Qualitative Study

• Author: Mohhamad Hossein Javadi,Hassan Rafiey,Maliheh Arshi,Mohammad Sabzi Khoshnami,Fardin Alipour
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211022669
• Published date: 01 June 2022
• Date: 01 June 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211022669

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2022, Vol. 66(8) 838 –855

© The Author(s) 2021

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211022669

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Article

Reintegration of Ex-Offenders

Convicted of Violent Crimes

into the Community in

the Iranian Context: A

Qualitative Study

Mohammad Sabzi Khoshnami1,

Fardin Alipour1, Maliheh Arshi1, Hassan Rafiey1,

and Mohhamad Hossein Javadi1

Abstract

Community reintegration of ex-offenders is a main issue for reducing recidivism. This

article aims to explain the process of reintegration into the community based on the

experiences of people who have been convicted of violent crimes in Iran. A qualitative

study based on grounded theory was conducted in 2020 in Tehran/Iran. Data was

collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 participants. An

institutional review board approved the study. Results indicate that the “worry trap”

is the main challenge that those convicted of violent crimes face upon reentry into

society. If these individuals are provided with governmental and non-governmental

services and support, they can move toward “restoring their lost social capital.” The

“redefinition of an independent identity” is a consequence of released individuals’

struggle to restore their lost social capital. Further research exploring the causality

of social capital and improved outcomes after release from prison and reentry to

community is needed.

Keywords

grounded theory, reentry, social reintegration, assault

1University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Corresponding Author:

Maliheh Arshi, Department of Social Work, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences,

Tehran, Iran.

Email: marshisw@yahoo.com

1022669IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X211022669International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologySabzi Khoshnami et al.

research-article2021

Sabzi Khoshnami et al. 839

Introduction

Reentry into the community after incarceration can be a difficult process for all those

who have spent time in prison. Upon release, offenders face challenges, such as unem-

ployment, strained relationships with family and friends, financial instability, return-

ing to a drug-using community, and difficulties forming new bonds with others. These

problems are compounded when one has been convicted of a violent crime (Cepeda

et al., 2015; Choi & Dulisse, 2020).

The rate of violent crimes is increasing in recent years according to the judicial

systems reports (Ahlin & Lobo Antunes, 2017; United Nations Office on Drugs and

Crime, 2018). For example, research in the United Kingdom shows that imprison-

ment due to violent offenses has increased from 22% in 1994 to 31% in 2004 (Mauer

& McCalmont, 2013). From 2008 to 2014, the majority of intentional homicides have

been reported from South Asia, whereas the least number of these crimes have been

reported from Europe (Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice,

2016). The vast majority of incarcerated people in the United States are serving time

in state prisons, and over half of these human beings have been convicted of violent

offenses (Paulle & Zeeuw, 2020). Official reports in Iran reveal an increase in vio-

lence, including homicide, assault, and battery. For example, for every 100,000 peo-

ple, 543.9 violent crime cases were closed in public courts in 1997, which increased

to 755 cases in 2001. Violent crimes due to their heavy and long-term psychological,

social, and economic costs are important (Zare & Zandilak, 2012). According to the

Statistical Yearbook of Iran in 2018, assault and battery have tripled during the years

2006 (247,869 people) to 2018 (753,974 people).

Violent crimes are classified as intentional crimes, that face more restrictions on

reentry, such as a certificate of criminal record, required when applying for a job

(Mirhosseini & Larijani, 2018; Sadeghi Fasaie & Mirhosseini, 2017). If effective reen-

try programs are provided to inmates, they will face few barriers in their pathways to

reintegration into the community (Braga et al., 2009).

Bouloc (2008) quoted by Mirhosseini and Larijani (2018), maintains that the goal

of correcting the offender’s behavior is to help him/her return to a normal life. In his

view, the main purpose of punishment is to improve social reintegration and reentry

once he/she joins the society again. As a result, he/she will not commit a crime again

and will obtain the capacity to live a healthy social life that is devoid of crime. Finally,

he/she will find ways toward conformity with the norms and basic rules of social life

(Mirhosseini & Larijani, 2018). The purpose of reentry into the community is to rein-

force the necessary recovery, especially in social issues. For example, returning to

work is considered to be one of the important consequences of recovery and reentry,

that leads to acquiring an individual social status, making released prisoners finan-

cially independent and subsequently giving meaning to their life (Schönherr et al.,

2004).

The increased interest in the reentry process during the last decade stems from two

interrelated reasons. First, policymakers have recognized that the failure to systemati-

cally address the needs of parolees jeopardizes both the successful reintegration of