The Experiences of Older Adults with a History of Incarceration Who Have Reentered the Community: A Focus Group Study

In recent years, older adults have been the fastest-growing demographic group within the U.S. prison population, often facing significant bio-psychosocial difficulties when reentering the community. To examine how social workers can best assist older adults in the reentry process, three focus groups with 26 older formerly incarcerated inmates were conducted in New York City to explore their experiences transitioning out of prison. Seven themes were identified that demonstrated the resilience of this population to self-actualize in the face of societal marginalization, as well as the value of social workers utilizing anti-oppressive and empowerment perspectives when working with them.