Doing time on the outside: Managing relationships with imprisoned men

Abstract

Traditionally criminological inquiry has excluded the voices of female partners of imprisoned men, leaving their lived experiences and impacts of incarceration unacknowledged. This is a disturbing oversight in light of the stigmatization of this group both by the correctional system and in society. This thesis is an exploratory study that seeks to capture some of the experiences and challenges faced by female partners of male prisoners to shed light on their lived realities. In order to do so, this study has built upon symbolic interactionism, by drawing on Goffman's concept of stigma, the more recent theorizing around this concept as well as the issue of resistance. This theoretical framework has provided a useful lens through which to examine how structural stigma and interpersonal stigma are experienced by female partners of prisoners. The research is a qualitative study. Five female partners of male prisoners were interviewed regarding their experiences, challenges, and negotiations in the correctional and social spheres. The findings were analyzed and ultimately broken down into four sections: the challenges experienced in corrections and in the social realm, the hardships of intimate relations related to incarceration and the positive side to enforced separation. The analysis revealed that the experiences and coping strategies of women partners of prisoners are diverse. Further, structural stigma and interpersonal stigma (in particular the use of search technologies) were significantly present. In response to these challenges the study highlights that the women engaged in numerous tactics of overt and covert resistance. The findings, while recognizing the agency of these women also speaks to the imperative need for Corrections to humanize their policies and practices.