‘Still Doing the Time’: A Qualitative Exploration of Stigma Negotiation and Maternal Identity During Reentry

Despite growing attention to reentry barriers, few studies examine how mothers interpret and negotiate their post-incarceration maternal identities. Drawing on interviews with 31 formerly incarcerated women, this study examines how stigma is experienced across internal, institutional, and interpersonal domains during reentry. Findings reveal how the experience of shame is both an internalized state and an anticipatory process that is further institutionalized by employment and housing exclusion. Yet, participants demonstrate active strategies of resistance and resilience in their process of identity-construction. The study offers novel insights for those invested in supporting formerly incarcerated mothers and their families.