Purpose Prison leaver reintegration is commonly conceptualised through the lens of reoffending, risk management and compliance with criminal justice requirements. Less attention has been paid to how reintegration is understood within recovery communities and what this reveals about recovery, social inclusion and citizenship following release from prison. This study aims to explore community understandings of the barriers and facilitators affecting prison leaver reintegration and examine their implications for recovery-oriented policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study informed by community-based participatory research principles was undertaken as part of the Greater Manchester Recovery Network Spotlight initiative. Approximately 60 participants, including people with lived experience of addiction recovery and criminal justice involvement, representatives from lived experience recovery organisations (LEROs), members of recovery communities and practitioners, took part in a participant-led workshop. Participants were randomly allocated to one of five discussion groups focusing on homelessness, access to support, criminal justice and stigma, barriers to employment and social exclusion. Discussions were documented through participant-generated flipcharts, Post-it notes and a plenary feedback session, before being analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Analysis generated three interconnected themes: reintegration as a fragile transition, interconnected structural and social barriers to reintegration and recovery communities as mechanisms of inclusion and recovery. Participants conceptualised reintegration as a dynamic social process rather than simply the avoidance of reoffending. Housing, employment, stigma and fragmented services were understood as interconnected influences on recovery, identity and community participation. Recovery communities, peer support and LEROs were viewed as creating opportunities for belonging, identity reconstruction, hope and meaningful contribution, thereby supporting recovery and successful reintegration. Originality/value This study offers a recovery-oriented understanding of prison leaver reintegration grounded in collective experiential knowledge generated through a participatory methodology. The findings suggest that reintegration is more comprehensively understood through recovery, citizenship and social inclusion frameworks than through criminal justice perspectives alone. They further highlight the importance of coordinated systems that not only enable access to housing, employment, supportive relationships and community participation but also sustain and protect these recovery resources over time. Ultimately, successful reintegration extends beyond release itself and depends upon rebuilding, connecting and protecting the recovery resources that enable people leaving prison to reconnect, contribute and belong.
Lisa Ogilvie (Sat,) studied this question.