Social reintegration: what it is and what are its effects

Many people suffer some circumstance throughout their lives, or perform some action, that leads them to lose their freedom and see their contact with the community cut off. If this deprivation occurs for a long time, or the reasons for it derive from a bad adjustment with society, it may be necessary a process of social reintegration.

This process is somewhat complex and its effectiveness is sometimes a matter of controversy. But what is it?. Throughout this article we are going to talk about the concept of social reintegration, areas in which it may be required and factors that can both hinder and facilitate its success.

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What is social reintegration?

Social reinsertion is understood as the process by which an individual who for some reason has abandoned or been deprived of liberty and of connection and participation with society try to be part of the community again.

It is a systematic process that seeks correct and modify all those elements that could have contributed to the generation of said loss of freedom

, and prevent and prevent its recurrence.

In other words, readjustment to society is sought in such a way that the errors or elements that led him to commit a crime or suffer deprivation of contact with the environment are corrected.

In this way, social reintegration is closely linked to the correctional services that come into operation once the person has violated necessary rules for coexistence, so psychological intervention measures are taken to attempt that this dynamic of antisocial conduct is not repeated again.

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Areas and types of population that require reinsertion

We generally talk about social reintegration in the penitentiary field, in the case of subjects who have committed offenses or crimes for which they have been tried and sentenced to prison.

In fact, technically the sentence of deprivation of liberty itself has a purpose theoretically focused on the prevention of recidivism and social reintegration, in addition to compensation for the damage generated and the protection of citizens and the subject himself.

In this case, the process of social reintegration includes a wide variety of interventions, both at the therapeutic level (in the event that it is specify) as well as at the level of training that allow them to participate in society once their sentence ends, that improve their situation and increase prosociality and positive bonding with the environment while seeking to reduce the chances of recidivism in the behavior criminal.

But not only convicted persons and those who have been criminally convicted are reintegrated into society. Anyone who has been deprived of liberty for any reason may need a process of social reinsertion. In this sense may be required by people who have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital or who have been victims or witnesses of traumatic events, such as kidnappings or attacks.

In the social reintegration programs they usually include training and workshops at the occupational level, therapy programs for different psychiatric problems or for the prevention of antisocial behavior, employment guidance and accompaniment. They can also include family interventions, training to prepare the subject for life in freedom, association and connection with community resources.

Skills training is common, including social or job search. Also areas such as health, leisure or academic training are elements to be dealt with.

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Aspects that facilitate reintegration into society

Reintegrating into society is complex, especially for people who have been deprived of their liberty for a long time or who have psychosocial adjustment difficulties. However, there are factors that can facilitate the process.

One of the main factors that favor success when reinserting can be found in the subject's own will to change, in addition to the presence of sufficient cognitive faculties to understand one's own acts and their consequences and awareness of the need for change.

Another of the greatest predictors of success is found in the presence of personal motivations and vital goals. These goals may include recovery of family relationships (especially emphasizing that of the children), getting a job and stability or completely changing their life. In the case of convicted subjects, the very recovery of their life and the avoidance of being deprived again may be an objective per se.

The presence of social support, the absence of conflicts with the family and the perception of support On their part, there are other very relevant factors, as long as they support the change and do not carry out acts of sabotage or are forces contrary to behavior modification. The presence of a partner is also generally positive, as long as it is not a unequal relationship in which there is a relationship of dominance/submission or there are vexations or bad deals

Other factors to take into account and that have been associated with greater ease for reintegration are socio-educational levels medium-high levels, the absence of substance use or untreated mental health problems, the lack of treatment or attempts to previous reintegration, the non-existence of antecedents to the event that has generated the deprivation of liberty and not having previously reoffended in criminal conduct.

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Elements that can hinder reintegration

On the other hand, there are also factors that make reinsertion more difficult. One of the main ones is the lack of capacity for self-criticism or the lack of awareness of the need for change. The lack of empathy also represents a great difficulty, as well as the lack of personal responsibility and vision of the future.

Lack of social support or an enabling environment for criminal behavior or enhancing the cause of deprivation of liberty are also aspects that can harm reinsertion. The lack of resources to introduce changes, especially with regard to the personal and as well as the lack of life goals or expectations to achieve change can complicate the process.

Another of the elements that can make social reintegration difficult may be precisely one of the causes that require said reintegration: drug use. Said consumption is one of the factors that can make reinsertion measures fail in contexts such as the prisons, but if the treatment of dependency is taken into account and psychoeducational measures are implemented to provoke a change.

In the case of consumer subjects, the type of substance and the abstinence time are also elements to consider when dealing with their reinsertion over time. In general, this can take longer in polyconsumers or heroin dependents, while users dependent on “soft” drugs tend to be reintroduced more quickly. Of course, as long as there is a commitment to change and a therapeutic process behind it. Also the general state of health prior to the withdrawal or deprivation of liberty.

Regarding subjects with severe mental disorders and who have required hospitalization, it is also possible to take into account the number of previous admissions or the experience of situations such as sexual abuse or attempted suicide. All of this can negatively affect or lengthen the process through which the subject must go if he wants to become part of the community again.

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Does everyone reinsert?

As a general rule, it is estimated that at least in Spain around 69-70% of prisoners manage to reintegrate successfully into society without repeating the conduct that led them to prison, something that nevertheless leaves a third of the number of convicts who do. In this sense, social reintegration programs can be useful in a wide variety of subjects, although they are often has criticized the existence of few programs and the presence of excessively limited resources to carry them out with success.

However, there are cases whose reinsertion is usually much more complicated, with current techniques having relative success. In this sense, subjects with psychopathy, who have often been considered impossible to reintegrate because they lack empathy (despite the fact that other studies seem to indicate that change is possible in various factors).

Another of the sectors with the worst prognosis is that of systematic sex offenders, being one of the sectors with the highest probability of recidivism. In general, moreover, the higher the level of recidivism, the less effective the reintegration measures are.

Regarding subjects with mental disorders, addiction to substances or victims of traumatic events, the success of reintegration can be highly variable. depending on the case, although in general it can also be highly successful as long as an adequate therapeutic process is carried out and that it is followed by the subject.