Experiencing the prison industrial complex: the impact of incarceration on families

The purpose of this mixed methods study is to understand how families are affected by the incarceration of their loved ones. This research uses 1) quantitative data to determine the level of family involvedness of incarcerated individuals across race and SES factors, 2) qualitative methods to understand how families cope with incarceration and 3) frames these experiences within the prison industrial complex and neoliberal politics. The results showed that family involvement is not predicted by race and that race was not a salient theme, however, lack of emotional support, stigma, isolation and the acquisition of additional parental roles were salient issues for the families of prisoners. Identifying the struggles of families and understanding how race and class play out in this context may inform future outreach and build upon existing prison research.