Vulnerable or Resilient? Female Adjustment Pre- and Post- Partner Incarceration

• In Event: Research from Emerging Scholars in Developmental and Life-Course Criminology II

Abstract

Despite expansive research on proximal and distal outcomes of familial incarceration on children, less is understood about the process of family members’ adjustment to incarcerated individuals returning home. Scholars have speculated that reentry can be especially emotionally and financially stressful for female partners of returning citizens; however, few have placed this topic as the key focus of inquiry. We use data from the first two waves from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering (MFS-IP) (2008-2015), a longitudinal study of nearly 2,000 families that participated in family strengthening programs. We estimate first difference models to analyze how male partner reentry is related to female labor market participation (formal work, informal work, social assistance) before and after males are release from prison (n~1,300; 2,685 obs). Findings suggest that male reentry is associated with a reduced probability of formal employment but increases the probability of receiving welfare/public assistance. Moreover, returning males are associated with perceived female partner’s material hardship and mental health, net of time varying controls such as relationship status and incarceration length. These results suggest that incarceration can have implications for both female and child well-being.

Authors

• Andrea Hazelwood, The Pennsylvania State University

• Holly Nguyen, The Pennsylvania State University