ABSTRACT
This study aims to understand the sociopsychological effects of social reactions experienced after prison, especially stigmatization, and its role in recidivism. In this phenomenological study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 probationers and 9 ex-convicts living in Karaman province and the relationship between social reactions and recidivism was examined. The research data were analyzed using MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program. The findings are discussed through the stigmatization approach, which constitutes the theoretical background of the study, and the assumptions of the modified labeling theory, which is discussed for the first time in the local literature. As a result of this study, it was revealed that stigmatization is a determining factor in recidivism by preventing individuals from participating in social life and leading to the adoption of a criminal identity. In addition, it was observed that the claims of the modified labeling theory that individuals with a characteristic that is likely to be stigmatized (criminal, mentally ill, etc.) develop various strategies to cope with stigmatization found existence among the participants. As a matter of fact, the study revealed that the experience of stigmatization triggers direct or indirect recidivism by creating obstacles to vital opportunities.