Date of Conferral

10-26-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Raj Singh

Abstract

The Welfare Lifetime Ban imposed severe restrictions on women’s access to essential resources during the critical period following incarceration. By denying housing assistance, food aid, and employment services, the policy created significant barriers to reintegration and undermines both criminal justice and social welfare reform. Little is known about the long-term impacts of the ban or the absence of effective rehabilitative policy alternatives. Few studies have examined its outcomes within the framework of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The findings within (PRWORA) enactment briefly stabilized a decline in welfare recipients, and employment rates increased temporarily for single mothers who had children. Researchers found that formerly incarcerated women still faced hardships including obstacles—such as, limited food access, housing denials, less education opportunities and issues keeping long-term healthcare, whether they had children or not. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to investigate current policy measures and the lack of supportive programs for formerly incarcerated women through the lens of the theories of social stigma, structural barriers, and empowerment. It was found that women subjected to welfare sanctions faced elevated risks of recidivism, diminished quality of life, and heightened social discrimination within three years of release compared to those who had access to welfare rehabilitative programs. Integrating the Second Chance Act provisions with the Welfare Lifetime Ban can provide essential support services for rehabilitation to assist women in rebuilding their lives, lower recidivism rates, strengthen family dynamics, and improve mental health outcomes contributing to positive social change.

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