When Relatives Return: Interviews with Family Members of Returning Prisoners in Houston, Texas

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Abstract

This research brief examines the challenges of incarceration and reentry from the perspective of family members in Houston, Texas. Prior research documents that returning prisoners expect and receive high levels of support from family after release, and that those who have access to family support fare better than those who do not on a range of reentry outcomes. Given the potential value of involving family in reentry planning, this report offers useful information about the family members who are closest to returning prisoners and the challenges they face in supporting their relatives.

Introduction

During the first few months after release, returning prisoners face a range of reentry challenges, including securing stable housing, finding and keeping work, reestablishing relationships with loved ones, and avoiding reincarceration. Though these challenges are formidable, most returning prisoners do not face them alone. Many have strong ties to family members in the community to whom they turn for encouragement and support. Prior research from the Returning Home project and other studies have documented that returning prisoners expect and receive high levels of support from family after release, and that those who have access to family support fare better than those who do not on a range of reentry outcomes.¹ Given the potential value of involving family in reentry planning,² it makes sense to learn more about the family members who are closest to returning prisoners and to examine the challenges they face in supporting their relatives.

This research brief examines the challenges of incarceration and reentry from the perspective of family members on the outside. It draws from interviews with family members of 427 men and women recently³ released from Texas state correctional facilities⁴ and returned to the Houston area. Addressing a series of questions about the experiences of these family members with their relatives? incarceration and return home, the brief begins with a discussion of the nature and extent of contact family members have with their relatives behind bars. It then turns to describe the degree to which family members provide emotional, financial, and other forms of tangible support. Since these family interviews are linked to a larger, longitudinal study of returning prisoners, information about how the findings from family interviews relate to findings from interviews with the returning prisoners is provided throughout.⁵ Differences in the experiences and perspectives of family members of returning men and returning women are also explored. The brief concludes with a discussion section providing policy recommendations that focus on the unique needs and contributions of family.

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