The Construction of Capital Among Family Members of People in Prison

Researchers have documented the harms of imprisonment on family life, but much less is known about how family members seek support to cope with the challenges of familial imprisonment. In this article, I draw on 8 months of ethnographic observations of a virtual family support group and in-depth int...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Umamaheswar, Janani (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2024, Volume: 64, Issue: 6, Pages: 1259-1274
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Families
Prison
SUPPORT groups
Social Capital
Cultural Capital
Description
Summary:Researchers have documented the harms of imprisonment on family life, but much less is known about how family members seek support to cope with the challenges of familial imprisonment. In this article, I draw on 8 months of ethnographic observations of a virtual family support group and in-depth interviews with 27 family members of people in prison to explore participants’ need for, and construction of, communities of support. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of social and cultural capital, I reveal how family members cultivated and leveraged networks of support to develop the social connections, knowledge, skills and resources needed to cope with familial imprisonment. I argue, however, that the persistence of participants’ struggles underscores the intractable nature of the inequality produced by familial imprisonment.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azae013