Digital reentry: uses of and barriers to ICTs in the prisoner reentry process

ABSTRACT

High incarceration rates and a focus on incapacitation during incarceration lead to a ‘revolving door effect’ in the United States, with more than two thirds of parolees rearrested within three years of release. One aspect that is missing from efforts to resolve the revolving door effect is how access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) might improve the reentry process. Focus groups with 73 male and female returning citizens in a large Midwestern city examined which types of ICTs parolees use and for what purposes; what the key barriers to access and use are; and which kinds of ICTs parolees need for reentry services. Our findings show that both access and lack of skills are barriers to using ICTs, with many perceived negative effects reported by our participants. As part of our policy recommendations, we stress the importance of including ICT training during and after incarceration.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital divide
• prison reentry
• ICTs
• digital skills

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 Due to the vulnerable status of our participants, we will not disclose the exact city.

2 Since recruiting women was more challenging, one interview was conducted with one woman and another with two women.

3 Participants also received a meal and non-alcoholic beverages.

4 Individual interviews with three of the women were audio-recorded.

5 Since our population was over 18 and already released from incarceration, the institution’s IRB did not consider them to be a vulnerable population, despite the fact that returning citizens are often socially and economically disadvantaged (a protected category under IRB). However, we insisted on a full IRB review for our study.

6 This only happened twice.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Michigan State University: [Grant Number S3 Funding (no award number)].

Notes on contributors

Bianca C. Reisdorf

Bianca C. Reisdorf, DPhil, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina - Charlotte, USA. Her work focuses on the intersection of inequalities and digital media and the Internet, with a focus on digital inequalities among marginalized populations. In her recent research, Dr Reisdorf has been focusing on internet access in correctional settings and how returning citizens navigate a technology-dependent world after release. In addition, she is interested in proxy Internet use as well as how Internet users look for and evaluate information from various media sources.

Julia DeCook

Dr Julia DeCook, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Advocacy and Social Change in the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago. Her research examines online hate groups, platform governance, race and gender, digital culture, and social justice and technology.

Megan Foster

Megan Foster is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a North Carolina Excellence Award recipient and Southern Futures scholar at UNC. She completed her MA in Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2020 and her BA in Communication at Coastal Carolina University in 2018. Her research interests centers on communication activism and social change, with an emphasis on carceral studies. Her most recent work examines technology, accessibility and social change for reentering citizens. Outside the academy, she works with Eliminate the Digital Divide, a nonprofit organization focused on providing affordable technology access and student IT workforce development.

Jennifer Cobbina

Jennifer Cobbina is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her primary research focuses on the issue of corrections, prisoner reentry and the understanding of recidivism and desistance among recently released female offenders. Her second primary research area is centered on examining how race, gender, and neighborhood context impact victimization risks among minority youth. Dr Cobbina's work appears in a number of top criminology journals, such as Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice & Behavior, British Journal of Criminology, and Journal of Drug Issues.

Ashleigh LaCourse

Ashleigh LaCourse is a doctoral student in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research interests include corrections, reentry, and prison programming, with a focus on educational and vocational training programs. Her work has been published in Crime & Delinquency, Theoretical Criminology, and Justice Evaluation Journal.