FAMILY TIES AS A RESOURCE FOR THE BARRIER-FREE RESOCIALIZATION OF INCARCERATED WOMEN IN UKRAINE
Author (s): Komar I.
Work place:
Komar I.,
PhD of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor,
Associate Professor of the Department
of Social Pedagogy and Social Work,
Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University
(57 Shevchenko Street, Ivano-Frankivsk, 76018, Ukraine,
e-mail: iryna.komar@cnu.edu.ua)
ORCID: 0000-0002-6354-9274
ResearcherID: HSF-8151-2023
Language: Ukrainian
Scientific Herald of Sivershchyna. Series: Education. Social and Behavioural Sciences 2026. № 1(16): 147–156
https://doi.org/10.32755/sjeducation.2026.01.
In contemporary scholarly and policy discourse, the resocialization of individuals in places of imprisonment is increasingly viewed through the lens of barrier-free approaches as a systemic strategy to overcome social, institutional, communicative, and psychological obstacles that hinder full social integration. For incarcerated women, these barriers are complex and exacerbated by gender-related factors, stigma, limited access to social services, and disrupted or weakened family ties. In this context, the family emerges not only as a social environment of support but also as a key resource for barrier-free resocialization, providing emotional stability, the maintenance of parental roles, access to social capital, and a reduction of risks of repeated social isolation after release.
This article analyzes the theoretical and practical foundations of family-oriented support for incarcerated women in Ukraine through the perspective of a barrier-free approach. It is argued that family ties constitute an essential resource for barrier-free resocialization, as they facilitate the overcoming of social, institutional, psychological, and communicative barriers faced by women during imprisonment and post-release. The key needs of incarcerated women are outlined, including the preservation of maternal roles, regular contact with children, access to psychosocial support, and preparation for reintegration into society. The article examines contemporary family-oriented practices implemented in cooperation between state institutions and civil society organizations, including programs supporting parenting competencies, family mediation, and post-penitentiary follow-up. Recommendations are formulated for improving support for incarcerated women based on barrier-free principles, interagency cooperation, and the observance of human rights, which are expected to enhance the effectiveness of resocialization programs and the social integration of women and their families.
Key words: family-oriented support, barrier-free approach, social accessibility, incarcerated women, resocialization, social integration, human rights, motherhood in imprisonment, psychosocial support, penitentiary system.
References
- YurFem Analytical Center (2023), Women who are invisible: Gender aspects of serving sentences by women deprived of liberty, аvailable at: https://jurfem.com.ua/doslidgennya-zhinky-yakykh-ne-vydno/.
- Korzh, A. (2022), “You have been punished in prison. And then when you are released, you are punished for life”: Post-incarceration barriers for women in Ukraine, International Sociology, Vol. 37, Iss. 3, pp. 373–390, DOI: 10.1177/02685809221084447.
- Khalymon, S. I., Bohatyrov, I. H., Puzyrov, M. S., Kolomiiets, N. V. et al. (2023), “Characteristic of a female recidivist: Qualitative empirical analysis (View from Ukraine)”, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 67, Iss. 5, pp. 447–470, DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211023919.
- Oleksiuk, N. (2019), “Social rehabilitation as an aspect of social work with convicts in the penal institutions of Ukraine”, Social Work and Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 41–51, DOI: 10.25128/2520-6230.19.1.4.
- Sulitskyi, V. V. (2022), “Social work in the penal institutions of Ukraine”, Actual Trends in Science and Practice : proceedings of the VIII International Scientific and Practical Conference, 114–119.
- Sulitskyi, V. V. and Mahriuk, V. A. (2020), “Socio-pedagogical work with women in conflict with law”, Innovative Pedagogy, Iss. 25, Vol. 2, pp. 194–198.
- Yahunov, D. (2024), Prison population statistics in Ukraine, аvailable at: https://www.yagunov.in.ua/prison-pop-ukr-08-122024/?utm_source=com.
Read more