Incarcerated Individuals’ Efforts to Communicate, Find Closeness, and Engage in Relationships with Their Loved Ones

• In Event: Healing and Resilience Behind Bars

Abstract

Purpose. Of the numerous pains linked to incarceration (e.g., loss of property, autonomy, individuality), social isolation is particularly challenging. Carceral residents can still seek to facilitate connections and further their relationships by contacting loved ones during incarceration. Defining this process, I propose the term ‘carceral connectivity’, which is defined as the process of communicating to garner a sense of social connectedness to re-establish or sustain relationships. Design. This study uses 41 semi-structured interviews with men from one jail and one prison to explore how varying environments influence communication patterns, closeness with loved ones, and relationship sustainability. Findings. Results show nuanced differences between men in jail and prison. Men in jail faced more barriers to accessing communication methods. Both preferred visitations, as quality time was their preferred way to bond. Men in prison found changing their communication style resulted in improved closeness, including finding ways to give gifts or having shared media experiences. Men were closest to their mothers and sons, whereas relationships with their daughters were more strained. Men in jail had a more challenging time sustaining their romantic relationships than men in prison. Summary. Implications include informing future correctional programming, improving communication procedures, and promoting carceral connectivity’s importance.

Author

• Lindsay Smith, George Mason University