When the Abuser is Locked Away: How Abuser’s Incarceration and Visitation During the Incarceration Would Affect Pre-existing Domestic Violence

• In Event: Family Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Family support has been shown effective in reducing the negative outcomes of reentry such as recidivism. Moreover, prior literature also showed that visitation during incarceration had positive impact on both inmates’ behavior during incarceration and their reentry process, especially being visited by their significant ones. However, prior literature also found that domestic violence abusers were overrepresented in incarcerated population. So when we consider about helping former inmates getting back to our society, we might have to also consider a potential resumption of the “cycle of violence” between family members or intimate partners. On the other hand, incarceration of the abusers might be an opportunity for domestic violence victims, and the dynamics of the relationship can be impacted and readjusted through visitation and calling.
In this paper, I will assess the effect of domestic violence perpetrator incarceration on the relationship between the abuser and the victim, the dynamics in domestic violence, and the experience of the victims. Furthermore, I will assess whether visitation and calling from prison during abuser’s incarceration will add more complexity in the interaction between the abuser and the victim, and how visitation may work on the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.

Author

• Yu Gao, Florida State University