Inmates and Their Wives: Incarceration and Family Life

A study of how inmates and their wives cope with incarceration and how a conjugal visit programme helps their marriages. The findings of a family support programme in upper New York State compares different groups and has implications for social welfare and corrections professionals. The authors review the historical background of family support programmes for prison inmates, review the literature, and raise questions about the kinds of policies, programmes, and services that affect inmates and their families. They point to the effects of clinical intervention on different ethnic groups and make recommendations for the future to help couples cope better.