NCJ Number
197181
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: September 2002 Pages: 334-347
Date Published
September 2002
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article explores the value of self-help groups for women whose male partners are imprisoned.
Abstract
The author begins by noting that men who are imprisoned are visited by their wives and mothers while women who are imprisoned are visited by their mothers and sisters. Thus, it seems that women are the family members who care for and support inmates during their time of imprisonment. The author utilizes her recent qualitative research to explore the value of self-help group membership for women whose male partners are imprisoned. She integrates criminal justice research with family theory and gender studies to develop a feminist perspective that explores the relevance of kin obligations and gendered ideologies of caring. The data were extracted from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 female participants of self-help groups. The author found that there was a social expectation that women would be caregivers. Thus, membership in a self-help group can help women of imprisoned male partners maintain a positive female identity as they care not only for their imprisoned partner, but also for the other women in the group. The author challenges past research that claims that the imprisonment of a male partner can promote independence and empowerment in a woman. The author contends that powerfully ingrained gender roles mean that a woman’s goal is to get her man back in the home and thus relinquish the “male” duties she took over during his absence. In conclusion, the author notes that while self-help groups fulfill an unmet need for support for inmates’ families, they mask the lack of regard for inmates’ families that is found within formal social and penal policy. Notes, references