Exploration of the Lived Experience of Imprisoned Women: From the Regret of Childhood to the Continuation of Crimes

Children are the most vulnerable groups in society, and their adult standing is profoundly influenced by their formative experiences, mindset, and quality of interactions.The aim of the current research is to investigate the lived experiences of the childhood of imprisoned women and its continuation in their current situation. This research is a qualitative study and has been conducted using hermeneutic phenomenology method.The data of the study was collected using the theoretical sampling method with 25 women prisoners in the city of Karaj, with in-depth interviews, and finally, the collected data were encoded and analyzed in the form of 6 main themes and 24 sub-themes.The results of the research show that the experiences of insecurity, regret and failure, homelessness and lack of family support are among the adverse childhood experiences of imprisoned women.The interpretation of the imprisoned women from their childhood is as a dangerous life world, which continues in adulthood with the continuation of mental turmoil, stress and aggression, the continuation of childhood actions, delinquency and connection with the networks of deviation, the continuation of a tense family, incompatibility with the spouse and the absence of maternal affection.They believe that, like other children, they have not been able to use their capacities and have been abused by their parents and close friends. According to them, the prison and the violation of their adulthood is the continuation and repetition of their childhood violations. Finally, it is suggested to provide the necessary training by the responsible organizations, including mass media, family support centers, counseling, etc., in order to improve the mental health, increase awareness, and improve the performance of imprisoned women.