According to the National Crime Bureau reports from 2021 there were 5,54,034 inmates altogether within Indian jails at the end of the year representing a 130.2% occupancy rate. Life in prison impacts not only the imprisoned but also their families. To truly understand the impact of incarceration as a form of punishment, it is vital to study its effect on the families of the incarcerated, those deemed to be the ‘collateral damage’.
Since the late 18th Century, governments all over the world have employed imprisonment to deal with those who pose a risk to society. Nearly three centuries later, it has evolved into a much more sophisticated system that acts as a form of correctional aid rather than just punishment. Yet its repercussions have prevailed. Children, caregivers, and family members of the imprisoned figuratively also serve a sentence. Literature suggests that family members experience a wide variety of negative effects at the hands of society. They are likely to face societal stigma, financial issues, an increase in mental health issues, disrupted education, and a greater risk of unemployment.
Despite the system of prison visitation, the imprisonment of a family member is a form of loss because the person is confined to the four walls of the prison and would not be able to provide any form of support or live up to their duties, whether emotional, financial, or social. This leads the family to deal with a great deal of emotional upheaval, which would only increase when faced with judicial trials and any other process of imprisonment.
When a parent is incarcerated, it can be a great immediate loss for the child. In the case of the imprisonment of fathers, study shows that they are less likely to be involved in their children’s lives after imprisonment, essentially ruining the relationship. These relations are also tainted by the rise of anxiety and depression between them which also impacts the father’s institutional adjustment. Although the rate of women's imprisonment is significantly lower compared to men’s, it is important to realize that maternal imprisonment has been on the rise. A recent study shows that maternal imprisonment is characterized by feelings of shame, where mothers describe feeling ‘tainted’, ‘watched’ and ‘judged’ which harms their capability to act as maternal figures. Mothers find it difficult to adjust to the separation from their children, allowing depression to arise. The imprisonment of a caregiver allows the entire responsibility of the child to fall on a single parent, which has proven to be a source of stress. The financial, social, and emotional needs of the child need to be met, or the parent would have to face the fear of losing the child entirely.
Despite this time being emotionally taxing on all the parties involved, the families of the imprisoned are forced to not only deal with these psychological issues but also face a great deal of societal stigma. In 1963, Erving Goffman, a sociologist and psychologist, put forth the concept of ‘courtesy stigma’ which describes the stigma one faces simply due to their associations. This type of stigma is very likely to be experienced by the families of the imprisoned and augment their lives even further.
Research shows that families do indeed describe society as supportive initially, but the loss of that support is extremely damaging to their mental well-being. They report feeling judged, blamed, and even ostracized by social networks. They also maintain the narrative that if people were to be aware of the entire story and not just fragments, they would receive much more support and would not be left entirely alone. There are also cases where family members do not reveal their associations with the imprisoned or hide the imprisonment for fear of being judged.
The risk of marginalization and discrimination is so profound that a large number of families cut ties with the imprisoned to escape societal stigma. The loss of support at such a difficult time can be devastating, so they choose to completely disassociate themselves from the situation and the person.
The lack of policies and post-imprisonment conventions for the family that aim to facilitate their emotional, financial, and social readjustment is minimal at best, leaving this highly impacted portion of society completely unaccounted for. This is counterproductive because children with criminal parents face a greater risk of being involved in criminal activity themselves. This inheritance of criminal behaviour is reported to be greatest between mother and daughter and least between father and son. Intergenerational crime is one of the many results of a lack of care for the family of the imprisoned.
In conclusion, it is of the utmost importance that families, caregivers, and children of the imprisoned are paid attention to. They must receive the right amount of intervention and support, which can only be established through efficient policymaking and social mediation.
Mahi Kashyap
