Developing Evidence-Informed Support Groups for Families of Incarcerated People: Findings From a Qualitative Study

Abstract

Researchers have extensively documented the financial, social, emotional, and psychological challenges that families of incarcerated people face, and there are growing calls for programs and services to help these families confront the collateral consequences of imprisonment. This article uses data from an ethnographic study exploring how family members of people in prison constructed and leveraged communities of support to help them cope with the stressors of having an incarcerated loved one. Drawing on 8 months of observations of a support group for families of people in prison and in-depth interviews with eight participants in this support group, we present findings related to family members' perspectives on the challenges they face, their reasons for joining the support group, and the group's strengths and limitations. Based on these findings, we argue that support groups for families of incarcerated people should be facilitated by trained professionals who are well versed in the unique traumas associated with contact with the criminal legal system.