In the growing field of research on the consequences of criminal justice contact for family life, a heavy emphasis has been placed on how imprisonment influences the emotional, physical, and socioeconomic well-being of prisoners’ loved ones. In this article, I elaborate on and analyze the experiences of family members of people with frequent, low-level criminal justice involvement. I draw on ethnographic data collected in partnership with a clinical social worker over the course of a three-year study of an intensive case management intervention for HIV-positive individuals. Findings indicate that loved ones’ brief jail stays and community supervision through probation and parole pose hardships for family members that are distinct from those hardships that arise during imprisonment. These experiences are uniquely destabilizing, may confer specific risks to family members’ well-being, and merit further study to inform programs, social services, and public policy.

Healthcare discrimination based on race/ethnicity is associated with decreased healthcare access and utilization among racial/ethnic minority patients. Discrimination based on criminal record may also negatively impact healthcare access and utilization among ex-prisoners. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey of 172 men recently released from state prison. We examined the association between self-reported criminal record discrimination by healthcare workers and utilization of 1) emergency department (ED) and 2) primary care services. We created staged logistic regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported racial/ethnic discrimination. Among 172 male participants, 42% reported a history of criminal record discrimination by healthcare workers. Participants who reported discrimination were older (mean, 42 vs. 39 years; p = .01), more likely to be college educated (26% vs. 11%; p = .03), and had more extensive incarceration histories (median years incarcerated, 16 vs. 9; p = .002) compared to those who did not report discrimination. Self-reported criminal record discrimination by healthcare workers was significantly associated with frequent ED utilization [odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95% confidence interval 24 (CI) 1.2-6.2] but not infrequent primary care utilization [OR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.7-3.8]. Recently released prisoners report criminal record discrimination by healthcare workers, and this experience may impact healthcare utilization. Future studies should seek to further characterize criminal record discrimination by healthcare workers and prospectively examine its impact on health outcomes.

Political participation and citizens’ perceptions of the legitimacy and fairness of government are central components of democracy. In this article, we examine one possible threat to these markers of a just political system: family member incarceration. We offer a unique glimpse into the broader social consequences of punishment that are brought on by a partner’s or parent’s incarceration. We argue that the criminal justice system serves as an important institution for political socialization for the families of those imprisoned, affecting their attitudes and orientations toward the government and their will and capacity to become involved in political life. We draw from ethnographic data collected by one of the authors, quantitative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and interviews with recently released male prisoners and their female partners. Our findings suggest that experiences of a family member’s incarceration complicate perceptions of government legitimacy and fairness and serve as a barrier to civic participation.

In this article, we utilize quantitative and qualitative data from the Multi-Site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering (MFS-IP) to examine couple relationships during men’s reentry. Couples were significantly less likely to report they were in an intimate relationship after release than during incarceration, and rated relationship happiness significantly lower postrelease. Qualitative data indicates that reentry presents new challenges, and obstacles to contact during incarceration reverberate in relationships postrelease. Policy and programming support could help justice-involved couples maintain contact during incarceration and assist in strengthening couples’ communication as they prepare for the male partner’s return to the community.

Latino youth, particularly in rural settings, experience significant disparities in rates of teen pregnancy and violence. Few data are available regarding social and structural influences on Latino youth’s developmental trajectories, specifically on factors that promote wellbeing and protect them from engagement in high-risk sexual and violence-related behaviors. Forty-two youth aged 13 to 19 years old were recruited from middle schools and youth leadership programs to participate in one of eight community-based focus groups in Salinas, a predominantly Latino, urban center in California’s rural central coast. Focus groups covered youths’ experiences with the risk and protective factors associated with exposure to violence and romantic relationships. Four researchers completed coding with a Grounded Theory approach, informed by the theoretical frameworks of the social ecological model and social capital. The study’s design and participant recruitment were informed by a community advisory board of local youth-serving organizations and health care providers. Participants described family lives rich in bonding social capital, with strong ties to parents and near-peer family members. They reported that while parents had a strong desire to promote healthful behaviors and social mobility, they often lacked the bridging or linking social capital required to help youth navigate structural systems, such as college applications and access to confidential health care. Youth also reported that some families link their children to negative social capital, such as exposure to gang affiliation. Adolescents in this agricultural community identified robust sources of bonding social capital within their families. However, they identified limitations in their families’ capacities to link them to structural resources in education, employment, and health care that could support healthful behaviors and upward social mobility.