NCJ Number
110714
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (July 1987) Pages: 176-204
Date Published
1987
Length
29 pages
Annotation
Indepth interviews with 30 wives of inmates and observations of 'rap sessions' in which a number of them participated allowed identification of a succession of accommodative strategies the wives used to deter their husbands' maladaptive behaviors and to allow their marriages to continue.
Abstract
Prisoners' wives tended to be 'traditional' women who view marriage as 'permanent,' believe a 'woman's place is in the home,' and hold that men ought to be the 'breadwinners.' They expected a conventional marriage in which their husband would work and provide security for the family. When this expectation was not realized, the women believed that love and forbearance would induce their husbands to adopt a stable, productive lifestyle. Although the wives anticipated that their husbands would one day be arrested, the wives themselves never contacted the police about their husbands' behavior. Even after a number of arrests and regardless of the offenses committed, the wives continued to be concerned for their husbands' predicament. They viewed the supporting of their husbands as their wifely duty. There is need for further research on the relationship between crime and life crises and modes of adaptation used by people living at the margin of normative lifestyles. 9 notes, 14 references.