This article examines how wives' continuing relationships with their incarcerated husbands are shaped by prison policies concerning telephone calls and home furloughs. A combination of data sources were used to construct an ethnographic account of the experiences of thirty women married to men incarcerated in two prisons. Findings show that within the constraints of telephone calls and home furloughs, relationships can be strengthened or undermined as prisoners and their wives attempt to resume remnants of their pre-prison marital patterns. Analysis reveals that prison policies believed functional for the prison treatment programs can have dysfunctional consequences for prisonerwife interaction.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, D. and Fischer, J. (1976). The Effects of Prison Residents' Community Contacts on Recidivism Rates. Corrective and Social Psychiatry. 22:21-27.
2.
Anderson, N. (1964). Prisoners' Families: A Theoretical Consideration of Imprisonment as a Family Crisis. Australian Journal of Social Issues. 3:9-17.
3.
Burstein, J. (1977). Conjugal Visits in Prison: Psychological and Social Consequences. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
4.
Charmaz, K. (1983). The Grounded Theory Method: An Explication and Interpretation. In R. M. Emerson (ed.). Contemporary Field Research: A Collection of Readings. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. 109-126.
5.
Daniel, S. and Barrett, C. (1981). Needs of Prisoners' Wives: A Challenge for the Mental Health Profession. Community Mental Health Journal. 17:310-322.
6.
Dickinson, G. (1984). Changes in Communication Policies. Corrections Today. 46:58-60.
7.
Fishman, S. and Alissi, A. (1979). Strengthening Families as Natural Support System for Offenders. Federal Probation. 43:16-21.
8.
Fishman, S. and Cassin, C. (1981). Services for Families of Offenders: An Overview. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections.
9.
Freedman, B. and Rice, D. (1977). Marital Therapy in Prison: One-Partner 'Couple Therapy.' Psychiatry. 40:175-183.
10.
Glaser, B. and Strauss, A. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine.
11.
Goffman, E. (1961). Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
12.
Hassin, Y. (1977). Prisoners' Furlough: A Reassessment. International Journal of Criminology and Penology. 5:171-178.
13.
Holt, N. and Miller, D. (1972). Explorations in Inmate-Family Relations. Sacramento: Department of Corrections Research Division.
14.
Homer, E. (1979). Inmate-Family Ties-Desirable But Difficult. Federal Probation. 43:47-52.
15.
Koenig, C. and Gariepy, L. (1985). Life on the Outside: A Report on the Experiences of the Family of Offenders from the Perspective of the Wives of Offenders. Chilliwack Community Services, Chilliwack, British Columbia.
16.
Kotarba, J. (1979). The Accomplishment of Intimacy in the Jail Visiting Room. Qualitative Sociology. 2:80-103.
17.
McCarthy, B. (1979). Easy Time: Females on Temporary Release. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
18.
Morris, P. (1965). Prisoners and Their Families. New York City: Hart Publishing Co.
19.
Pueschel, J. and Mogilia, R. (1977). The Effects of the Penal Environment on Familial Relationships. Family Coordinator. 26:373-375.
20.
Schneller, D. (1978). The Prisoner's Family: A Study of the Effects of Imprisonment on the Families of Prisoners. San Francisco: R and E Research Associates.
21.
Schwartz, M. and Weintraub, J. (1974). The Prisoner's Wife: A Study in Crisis. Federal Probation. 38:20-26.
22.
Swann, L. (1981). Families of Black Prisoners: Survival and Progress. Boston, MA: G. K. Hall and Co.
23.
Walker, N. (1983). Side-Effects of Incarceration. The British Journal of Criminology. 23:61-71.
24.
Zemans, E. and Cavan, R. (1958) Marital Relationships of Prisoners in the United States. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science. 49:50-57.
