A gender-based analysis of the Good Lives Model’s primary goods : exploring women’s reintegrative experiences

Abstract

Given our justice system’s use of services designed specifically for men, I consider the appropriateness of an alternative model: The Good Lives Model of Offender Rehabilitation (GLM). Specifically, the gender-neutrality of its theoretical assumptions about reintegration. I explore if the GLM is suited to address the gendered nature of women’s reintegrative experiences, how relevant the GLM’s primary goods are to women’s efforts to reintegrate, and how the women’s experiences seeking these goods are gendered. This qualitative work involves open-ended interviews with previously incarcerated women who have lived in a transition house. Their stories were analyzed using a feminist criminological perspective. Findings suggest the GLM’s strengths-based approach and primary goods are relevant in these women’s lives. The goods are, however, only germane because the women have surpassed the difficult process of achieving life’s basic necessities. Without the transition house, the women would likely not be achieving success to the same degree.