Relationships for incarcerated individuals

Incarcerated individuals' relationships are the familial and romantic relations of individuals in prisons or jails. Although the population of incarcerated men and women continues to increase, there is little research on the effects of incarceration on inmates' social worlds. However, it has been demonstrated that inmate's relationships play a seminal role in their well-being both during and after incarceration, making such research important in improving their overall health, and lowering rates of recidivism.

In an effort to ameliorate life in prison, inmates will often utilize different methods of social support. Some of the more salient of options for inmates is to form surrogate families, participate in religious activities, and enroll in educational programs.

To combat the negative side effects of incarceration, such as loneliness and seclusion, many inmates seek out surrogate families for support. Inmates emulate familial units by taking on different roles, such as father, mother, daughter, son, etc. Titles are given to those who participate in the family . These titles ascribe meanings to indicate either homosexual relationships (e.g., husband and wife) or platonic but caring relationships (e.g., mother and daughter). These temporary familial formations are more prevalent in female prisons than their male counterparts. Although, some argue that male prison gangs fulfill a similar role.

Overall, surrogate families can offer a wide range of social support for inmates, such as aiding in conflict resolution, protection, and providing feelings of belongingness. Further, these surrogate families may be one of the few methods female inmates utilize to garner social support since females are more likely than men to serve sentences in prisons that are far from their loved ones. However, some research suggests that these surrogate families can often create more anger and frustration for inmates than seeking support through other avenues (e.g., vocational, educational, or religious). Furthermore, newer inmates are more likely to seek out these formations than long-term inmates, suggesting that these formations have beneficial short-term outcomes but become a hindrance as time passes.

Religious services in the prison environment have a long-standing history. Penitentiaries were first established in the United States by religious leaders who sought to rehabilitate lawbreakers by repenting for their sins. Since that time, religion has developed with the prison systems to become one of the most prevalent and available forms of rehabilitation and programming offered to inmates. Overall, this availability is often utilized by the prison population. For example, during a one-year period in 2004, 50% of male inmates and 85% of female inmates attended at least one religious service or activity. Time spent utilizing religious opportunities and studies has more positive associations with inmates’ mental health and behavior than their nonreligious counterparts, demonstrated by higher scores on self-reports of self-satisfaction and confidence as well as lower rule violations. Possible reasons may be that spending time away from prison cells in the prison chapel offers inmates time to bond with like-minded individuals and to find acceptance and support. Religion also provides prisoners with a sense of security and helps prisoners choose prosocial behaviors over violent or maladaptive strategies. Finally, religious services in the prison setting offer an environment that restricts criminal or antisocial behavior, thus allowing inmates a rare chance to feel safe and welcomed.

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