Outlooks on ex-prisoners amongst the general public : views on reintegration in Malta

Abstract

The reintegration of prisoners refers to the process whereby persons who are no longer confined to the parameters of a correctional institution attempt to reintegrate back into society. Reintegration may therefore be defined as the process of transitioning from incarceration into society, adjusting to life outside of prison, and attempting to maintain a crime-free lifestyle (Laub and Sampson, 2001). This dissertation studied the views of the general public towards the reintegration process and what, in their opinion, are the biggest factors that contribute to the formation of such views, and ultimately, the successful reintegration of a prisoner back into society. A total of eight participants took part in this study, consisting of an equal number of males and females between the ages of twenty-three and fifty-five. This dissertation employed a qualitative methodology whereby data was collected using one-to-one interviews to answer the research questions concerned. The research questions were: (a) to understand what people’s views on reintegration are and how these are formed, (b) to understand how and whether the media and word of mouth affect the opinion of people, and (c) to understand what can be done to facilitate the reintegration process for prisoners. The data gathered was analysed through the use of thematic analysis which involved coding and understanding the themes that were prevalent in the data collected.