'They died of a broken heart': connecting women's experiences of trauma and criminalisation to survival and death post-imprisonment

In this article we document women's experiences of post-release survival and death in Victoria, Australia. In particular, we map the interrelated impacts of trauma, criminalisation, institutionalisation and imprisonment. We build upon the existing post-release mortality research, which has focused on quantifying and describing death, and provide a critical account of survival through the lens of women's experiences. Critically, we challenge the assumption that there is a distinction between survival and death, as many participants reported near-death experiences occurring in a range of contexts. Ultimately we highlight the need to attend to these contexts in order to advance depth of understanding regarding the structural nature of post-release disadvantage and survival.