Pride and Sadness: Impression Management of Prison Brides

• In Event: Roundtable: Incarceration

Abstract

Mass incarceration in America extends beyond the incarcerated to the families and communities that their lives touch. Families of inmates experience collateral consequences of imprisonment emotionally, physically, and financially. Additionally, families must deal with the stigma of having a family member in prison. This study uses a qualitative content analysis to explore an online chat forum of prison family members discussing their experiences. Specifically, the study will explore how women who are marrying incarcerated men define and manage their experiences as they deal with the collateral consequences of becoming the wife of an inmate.

Author

• Jennifer Stevens, Eastern Illinois University