Coparenting With an Incarcerated Individual

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology | 2022, p. 1- 20

“Fear of the Unknown”: Coparenting With an Incarcerated Individual

Eman Tadros; Governors State University, University Park, IL, USA

Sarah Presley; The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

Over 2.2 million individuals are currently incarcerated in prisons and jails across the United States. Having a family member incarcerated impacts the entire family system. Recent research has shown the relational consequences of incarceration, such as adjusting to and negotiating new rules and roles within the co-parenting relationship. The co-parenting relationship is multifaceted and necessitates empirical evidence that significantly honors the voices that are at the center of experience but typically silenced by the stigma and prejudiced nature of incarceration and its coinciding consequences. Coparenting partners of incarcerated individuals were interviewed to understand the lived experience of incarcerated co-parenting using a phenomenological approach. Four themes (positive relationship, stigma, seeking and providing support, and impact of incarceration) emerged from eleven interviews. Implications are provided on how to best advocate for this population through research, clinical work, and policy.

Incarceration; coparenting; incarcerated coparenting; phenomenology; stigma

“During incarceration, the vulnerabilities of the families can increase, straining families both emotionally as well as financially… In order to understand the impact of incarceration on those who are coparenting with an incarcerated individual, it is crucial to identify and understand the needs and challenges experienced by this population. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experiences of those who are coparenting with an incarcerated individual through an online support group found within Facebook as well as understand the needs within the coparenting relationship. This study aims to give a voice to those who are coparenting with an individual incarcerated, so they are able to share their unique experience. On a broader scale, this study aims to understand and identify the needs of the non-incarcerated partner to assist mental health professionals as well as broader systems in programming and support that meets the needs of individuals with an incarcerated loved one” (p. 2-4). 

“This research focuses on the lived experiences of coparenting with an incarcerated individual. To capture the complexities and nuances of the lived experience, a phenomenological qualitative research method was utilized… This study consisted of eleven participants; all eleven participants identified as White women. The racial identity of the incarcerated individual was not collected in this study… The sample of participants for this study was derived from an online support group, located on Facebook, known as “Incarcerated Loved Ones.” Participants were recruited from this online support group that is intended for loved ones of an incarcerated individual… Semi structured interviews were conducted with each of the participants. The researchers then analyzed and coded these interviews, noting any repetitive themes, not using any measurement instruments” (p. 5).

“The findings of this study indicated a complex experience of co-parenting with an incarcerated individual. This experience extended beyond just the individual who was co-parenting and reached to their children, extended family members, and friends. Four themes emerged during interviews, which were positive relationships, stigma, seeking and providing support, and impact of incarceration” (p. 12).

“The first theme, positive relationships, encompassed the relationships that co-parents experienced, both with the incarcerated individual as well as with family members and friends who had positive impacts in their life during a challenging time. This theme highlighted the positive relationships that are able to be maintained, even with the barriers of incarceration, that were loving, supportive, and committed relationships. It included the creative ways and activities that individuals are able to stay connected to their children during incarceration, as well as the history of the relationship with the incarcerated individual. Although most literature focuses on the challenges and difficulties of maintaining these relationships, positive relationships between co-parents and the incarcerated co-parent has shown to be extremely important in predicting outcomes of children” (p. 12). 

“The second theme highlights a main side effect of incarceration, which is stigma. This included various ways that stigma is portrayed, such as judgment, negative beliefs, negative feelings, hiding incarceration, lack of understanding, and past experience. The stigma that is associated with a loved ones’ incarceration extends to the entire family and can have negative impacts on individuals’ mental health as well as impact their support systems and social interactions” (p. 12).

“Seeking and providing support, the third theme, included participants expressing seeking help for themselves as well as being interested in providing support to others by showing an interest in future research. Participants were gathered from a support Facebook group so it was a general assumption that these individuals were looking for support, however their willingness to support one another was noteworthy. Although some participants mentioned seeking out therapy or counseling, it was not noted in every interview which shows a lack of services or providers often available for those with an incarcerated loved one” (p. 13).

“Finally, the theme impact of incarceration emerged in all interviews. The overall impact of the incarceration experience reaches all aspects of one’s life and is mostly a negative experience although a few participants reported a positive outlook regarding their experience. The challenges, fear, financial difficulties, and also positive outlook all emerged when discussing the impact of incarceration. Challenges such as maintaining contact between child and incarcerated parent were mentioned during interviews which correspond with barriers to maintaining family ties while incarcerated that are shown in the literature. Financial difficulties is especially impactful, as often households must rely on only one income which places a large burden on the individual to provide for the family in a financial sense, while financially supporting their incarcerated loved one” (p. 13).

“The relationship between coparent and incarcerated individual is vital to both the children as well as the individuals coparenting. Additionally, the majority of participants (72%) were involved in a romantic relationship with their incarcerated coparent partner. This romantic relationship provides another level to the existing coparent relationship that services for both the incarcerated individual and the coparent would benefit. Maintaining strong romantic ties while incarcerated will improve not only the individuals but the family unit as a whole. The coparenting relationship while the individual is incarcerated can impact the relationship with the children once released, as well as how strong the relationship is between parents. Additionally, this relationship can impact the children in an academic sense as well as decrease negative behaviors. In order for individuals to not engage in gatekeeping behaviors, the barriers to visiting incarcerated parents must be addressed. The challenges of coparenting with an individual incarcerated are numerous and those challenges do not disappear when the individual is released, yet the previous literature has shown the importance of maintaining a strong coparenting relationship that works as a team. 

Researchers advocate that this population receive marriage and family therapy (MFT) services while incarcerated due to the findings discussed. These results can be applied clinically to expand programing available to incarcerated individuals who are also coparenting, as well as providing services for those who are coparenting with an individual incarcerated. Seven of the participants had attended or received therapy and counseling services at one point however this still shows a gap in these services being accessible to all individuals who coparent with an incarcerated individual. By identifying the challenges of this coparenting relationship, those providing services will be better equipped in areas of focus. 

There are numerous services able to be provided when an incarcerated individual is released in the community to assist with re-entry, however these services are not often available while the individual is still incarcerated. This is a potential gap in the re-entry process that can be addressed by providing services, such as therapy, to the incarcerated individual while they are still incarcerated. These services are not being utilized as MFTs are not represented within correctional settings, where they could assist in family relationships and aid in navigating the family unit while experiencing incarceration. Specifically, related to this study, the need for services for those incarcerated to maintain strong family bonds is present. Small-scale programs offer promising results when offering couple relationship counseling and education, including reported reduced level of conflict and improved levels of satisfaction with one’s relationship. With many mental health providers now using telehealth to communicate with their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, this offers a possibility to incorporate therapy services into prison and jail environments in a more flexible way. With correctional facilities providing more widespread access to video visits for incarcerated individuals and their families, these video services could be used for relational (individual, couple, or family) therapy. Using technology can allow for more frequent sessions rather than physically having to meet, as it provides a greater flexibility for patients and providers” (p. 14 - 15).

“Limitations of this study include interviews being conducted only over the phone, having only one round of interviews, and a short time frame for the study. Often, interviews conducted over the phone prevent researchers from identifying and using non-verbal forms of communication. Conducting interviews over the phone prevents these forms of communication from being included in the memos or coding process. It is a possibility that different or additional information would have been provided by participants in a face-to-face setting, rather than over the phone, however there is no way to verify this potential limitation. However, due to the geographical distance of participants, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the comfort and convenience of both researchers and participants, phone interviews were overall the best option. 

This one Facebook group has over 16,000 members, but still may not represent everyone with an incarcerated coparenting experience. For example, people that do not have social media or are unaware of these types of support groups. Additionally, it is important to be cognizant that those with a lower SES may not have internet access. Further, the group does not appear to have posts in other languages, therefore the experiences of those who do not speak English are not reflected. Another point needing transparency is that people that are members of this group are likely looking for support and potentially, connection, thus they may be more likely or more willing to take advice/ tips. This furthers the point that they may seek a better relationship or are closer with their coparenting partner. Therefore, results may look different than coming from a sample of those electing to be in this group. 

All participants were female, engaged in coparenting relationships with an incarcerated male which may not capture the experiences of all types of coparenting relationships. In addition to the lack of gender disparity, participants had options in terms of how to self-identify their race/ ethnicity and none identified as Asian or Asian American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or another race. Lastly, we did not differentiate romantic partners that are coparents from coparenting only partners, thus there may be different results if we limited our sample. Results may differ as those in a romantic relationship that share a child may be more willing to have a better coparenting relationship than those not romantically involved at the time of interview” (p. 15 - 16).