ABSTRACT
This chapter describes spiral which tends to be experienced not as uplifting, but which places many on a downward trajectory, particularly emotionally, as they move through the weeks and months of their sentence. Women emphasized the importance of formal Correctional Service Canada programming and participation in spiritual activities and ceremonies as influential in providing them with the tools required for successful reintegration. Programs that the women had to complete in order to meet the conditions of their correctional plans before they could even be considered for parole were often full and women had to wait to be enrolled. Solitary confinement has increased over the past decade as more and more women and men with mental health issues have arrived in the correctional system and/or have developed mental health issues following incarceration. Relational theory tells us how central connection and relationship are for many women. For women who have been incarcerated, often prison is their only community.
