Families of Black Prisoners - Survival and Progress

• NCJ Number: 78364
• Author(s): L A Swan
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 172 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Sale Source: G K Hall
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study describes and identifies a composite of black prisoners' families and determines the nature and extent of adjustment, economic, and related problems these families face before, during, and after the imprisonment of a family member.

Abstract

Interviews were conducted with 208 black families living in large cities in Alabama and Tennessee, and data were obtained from 192 families. Interview questions, many of which were open ended, concerned helping relationships and adjustment among family members and relatives at each stage of the crisis resulting from imprisonment of a member; sociological and economic problems; and family members' relationships with the community during the imprisonment. The survey also solicited information on governmental policies toward prisoners' families and the kinds of services families need. Data analysis revealed that before imprisonment, the majority of the women believed that the spousal and parental-child relationships had been strong. During the period of arrest and imprisonment, the families were generally able to maintain a high level of family stability, and their residential status was not adversely affected. The study concluded that the major problem facing black prisoners and their families both before and during imprisonment was a lack of adequate finances; this problem became more acute following the men's imprisonment. Families managed fairly well if the women were educated and could find skilled employment. In most families, the women looked forward to the prisoner's release and return home, and most prisoners had the respect of their wives both before and during imprisonment. More than one-half of the help received by families of black prisoners came from governmental agencies, and welfare payments accounted for the greatest part. Many of the functions of the male marital partner were assumed by members of the woman's extended family. The study recommends that prompt intervention services be provided for families of black prisoners at each stage in the imprisonment crisis. Tabular data, notes for each chapter, and an index are given. A literature review which precedes the study gives particular attention to the research of Frazier, Moynihan, and Morris.