Gender roles and overacting in the face of institutional violence: experiences of relatives of persons deprived of liberty in Chile who participate in the Renaciendo social reintegration program

Abstract

In this article we explore the roles that relatives of people deprived of liberty play during incarceration, based on the experience of participants in the Renaciendo psychosocial program. The program is a municipal initiative that aims to support social reintegration processes of people residing in the Puente Alto commune who are or have been incarcerated. Using a qualitative approach, grounded theory as a method, and feminist epistemologies, we conducted 5 workshops and 5 semi-structured interviews, both aimed at relatives of people deprived of liberty participating in the program during 2023. Among the findings, we highlight that the relatives were all women, who act in three spheres: private, public, and prison; playing key roles in social reintegration and the protection of rights during incarceration. The interview narratives reflect tensions regarding gender roles, which are combined with acts of economic, legal, and emotional compensation. Using the sociologies of the individual, we argue that family members became hyperactors in the face of institutional violence, revealing the effects of the current prison crisis in Chile.