ABSTRACT
Using Idaho as a site within which to study prisoner reentry, this chapter focuses on how the interplay between culture, race and ethnicity, and social movements has shaped reentry and reintegration. The racial and ethnic make-up of the prison population in Idaho is 74.8% White and 73.9% of the population under control by community corrections is White, while most prison admissions are not from urban areas. Together, the Whiteness of formerly incarcerated individuals as both stigmatized and “salvageable” suggests that Idaho prisons are not amenable to the development of prisoner movements, and the absence of activism has a significant impact on reentry. Participants are reliant on the DOC for services, which sometimes placed them at risk for parole violations. Also, with few institutions to access for support, the reentry process in Idaho is experienced in isolation.
