When They Return: Framing the Argument for Inclusion

Abstract

Adherence to an authentic person-in-environment perspective remains a challenge. Advocating for increased institutional resources to meet basic needs is at odds with an ideological environment that insists upon exceptionalism, individualism, and personal responsibility. Social work practice must reconsider the power of community organizing frames as a practice of commanding public attention in public arenas. Employing qualitative research methods, this paper identifies the diverse framing arguments employed to demand effective interventions for returning citizens and argues that the frames identified in this study reflect the biases of prevailing neoliberal narratives of free market participation but neglect prevailing nationalist and populist tensions. We recommend uniting frames to build linkages across broader stakeholder groups to increase recognition in organizing efforts.