Female Offenders, HIV Peer Programs, and Attachment: The Importance of Prison-Based Civilian Staff in Creating Opportunities to Cultivate Prosocial Behaviors

Abstract

As women commit to a conventional lifestyle, the bond of attachment becomes a fundamental component in sustaining the desistance process. If weak attachments in the community cannot be replaced or enhanced with the cultivation of strong conventional attachments while incarcerated, female offenders will leave prison without a supportive network. Strong social networks and a high level of social capital are essential for female offenders to reintegrate successfully; if social bonds are constructed before release, there is a greater chance of maintaining a crime-free lifestyle. One way to cultivate strong bonds of attachment during incarceration is through prison-based programming. This qualitative study, based on the narratives of 49 female offenders, examines the potential for inmates to form prosocial attachments with staff in two HIV prison-based peer programs in New York State. Strong attachments were formed between the inmates and civilian staff during incarceration, maintained upon release, and served to reinforce the establishment of bourgeoning conventional identities. The dedication and commitment of the civilian staff, and the support they provided to the inmates, was essential to achieving both rehabilitative and reintegrative goals.