The Lived Psychological Experiences of South African Female Offenders Coping in Involuntary Solitary Confinement

Involuntary solitary confinement (ISC) is a restrictive procedure with limitations, implemented as a disciplinary tool in correctional centres. ISC entails removing an offender from the institutional community, like general population incarceration, to a living situation where they are exclusively alone, with little-to-no-contact with other offenders and/or the institution’s staff. These limitations are associated with negative biopsychosocial effects that affect the offenders’ psychological wellbeing, particularly female offenders being a marginalised population in the correctional context, impacting their social reintegration into society. The article discusses the lived psychological experiences and coping mechanisms of female offenders in ISC with the aim of developing strategies aimed at supporting female offenders in ISC. A phenomenological research design and purposive and snowball sampling were utilised. Anonymity was ensured using pseudonyms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data and data was analysed using the thematic data analysis technique.