From the "greenhouse" to reality: challenges faced by graduates of in-prison batterers intervention program

Beit-Hatikva (BH) is a special unit within the Israeli prison system, and houses violent men who were sentenced to prison time for domestic violence. The goal of BH is to bring about behavioral and identity changes. The study explores the lived experiences of BH graduates. Twelve BH graduates were interviewed using an in-depth qualitative interview, at least one year following their release from prison. Interviewees were asked about meaningful experiences they underwent following their release from prison. Going out to the reality of life outside of BH, the graduates encounter narratives that challenge the BH narrative of changed identity and transformation. Focusing on their past, their stigma as ex-convicts, and disregarding their past normative achievements, this external and challenging societal narrative attempts to draw the graduate back into old patterns of thinking and behaving, challenging them to face temptations, provocations, expectations, and assumptions of social reality.