Post-incarcerated individuals’ online narratives: stories of desistance and “success”

ABSTRACT

This study employed a qualitative thematic analysis to gain a deeper insight into post-incarcerated individuals’ narratives about the desistance process posted within an online, naturalistic context. We analyzed 87 online narratives from Prisontalk.com’s (Prison Talk Online; PTO) Success Stories forum, a discussion space focused on the transition to and life after post-incarceration. Four themes were identified from the narratives as posters discussed their continued desistance: 1) being motivated and resilient, 2) changing their self-perceptions, 3) engaging with/in supportive relationships, and 4) creating space for/from community. We found that online desistance narratives are similar to narratives disclosed in face-to-face contexts. Additionally, online spaces and the affordances they offer are important places for post-incarcerated individuals; these spaces offer the opportunity for members of the community to construct and post narratives where post-incarcerated individuals reflect on their previous actions and perform pro-social identities that help the larger carceral community.

KEYWORDS:

• Prison Talk Online
• online narrative
• desistance
• stigma
• post-incarceration

Acknowledgments

This paper was presented at the 107^th National Communication Association’s Human Communication and Technology Division in Seattle, WA. The authors wish to thank the reviewers for their invaluable feedback, Dr. Daniel Cheung for his help with the data collection process, and Central Michigan University graduate assistants Kelci Gormley, Jayla Gaskins, and Mitchell Wekwert for their help with the initial data analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We did request IRB approval from our respective universities; given the public nature of the posts being studied and the goal of understanding success for this particular group as a case study rather than for the purpose of producing generalizable results, the scholarly activity described in this project was deemed to not constitute research as defined under the U.S. Common Rule.

2. The URLs appearing in this article were accurate as of the time of data collection. Unfortunately, the PTO website is currently offline. PTO still has a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PrisonTalkCommunity) and snapshots of the PTO website may be accessed via the WayBack Machine internet archive (https://web.archive.org/).

3. To further protect the identities of PTO members, we choose to not disclose the exact dates of data collection. Knowing those dates would make it easier to connect quotes from this study with PTO usernames. We endeavor to balance the desire to give voice to PTO members’ experiences in their own words with the need to protect their identities.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alexandra S. Hinck

Alexandra S. Hinck (Ph.D., Cornell University) is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Studies Department at San Francisco State University. Her research examines how individuals and communities use technology for identity and relational management regarding experiences with stigmatization, discrimination, and marginalization.

Lesley Withers

Lesley A. Withers (Ph.D., University of Connecticut) is a Professor in the Communication Department at Central Michigan University. Her research examines the darker side of interpersonal communication (embarrassment, communication apprehension, stigma) and the brighter side of online relationships (online social support; virtual team collaboration; virtual community).

Shelly Schaefer Hinck

Shelly Schaefer Hinck (Ph.D., University of Kansas) is an emeritus professor at Central Michigan University. Her research focuses on the study of politeness strategies within political debates, the pedagogy of service-learning, and the relationship between social support, stigma, and technology.

Rachel-Lynn Lee

Rachel-Lynn Lee (BA, California State University, Chico) is a Masters student in the Communication Studies Department at San Francisco State University. Her research focuses on how traditionally stigmatized individuals and communities access and utilize social support for identity and relational management. She is currently a professional in the mental health field supporting justice-involved youth with reintegration, mental health symptoms, and relational repair.