Date of Conferral

8-29-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Eric Hickey

Abstract

Recidivism was identified as a persistent problem in the criminal justice system. Accordingly, prison overcrowding was also an identified problem in the prison system. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of home confinement for offenders in the Mississippi Delta. This research used rehabilitation theory to conduct a qualitative analysis of home confinement in the Mississippi Delta, as well as identify any unique challenges to the program presented by rural conditions. A purposive sampling technique was used to solicit participation, and a total of 12 participants were included in the study. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format, and their responses were analyzed using the descriptive coding technique, which rendered seven common themes. The results of the study indicated that offenders had a primarily positive perspective of home confinement, and rural conditions had a limited effect on operationalizing the program. The data collected contributes to social change, as it optimizes the criminal justice system, establishing home confinement as a viable alternative to traditional incarceration in rural areas. These results can be used to implement home confinement in rural areas more effectively, which reduces prison overcrowding and strain on the criminal justice system, its practitioners, and offenders. Researchers may expand on the foundation established in this study by examining the perspectives of home confinement from more diverse demographic groups, including criminal justice professionals.

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