Family member incarceration and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background The disproportionately high rate of incarceration and COVID-19 cases during the summer of 2020 in the United States contributed to a set of circumstances that has produced considerable public health concerns as correctional facilities have emerged as significant COVID-19 hot spots. During the COVID-19 pandemic, having a family member incarcerated can be an especially stressful experience. This study assesses how concern about an incarcerated family member contracting COVID-19 impacts diverse coping strategies. Results Data are from a survey of individuals who have a family member incarcerated in Texas (N = 365). Ordinary least squares regression is used to examine the association between concern about an incarcerated family member contracting COVID-19 and coping strategies. Findings demonstrate that higher levels of concern for an incarcerated person’s wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with dysfunctional coping mechanisms, but not adaptive or functional coping strategies. Conclusions Results suggest appropriate systemic responses by correctional administrations and public health practices can help mitigate dysfunctional coping mechanisms by family members during infectious disease outbreaks in correctional facilities.

Theorizing racialized disaster patriarchal capitalism in the age of COVID‐19: A framework for feminist policy change

“…For example, throughout the pandemic, harrowing reports of illness and death inside jails and prisons have made it evident that justice-involved people and communities have also been defined as sacrificial. In the U.S., the COVID infection rate in jails and prisons has been as high as three times greater than the general population (Testa & Fahmy, 2021). As prisons and jails, themselves increasingly privatized, perennially fail in their responsibility to protect the basic health and safety of those under confinement, many of the 2.5 million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons have been unable to see their loved ones in person.…”

COVID-19 Mitigation Compliance and Vaccination Status Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in the United States

“…Both COVID-19 and incarceration are serious public health concerns (Testa & Fahmy, 2021), and existing evidence shows disproportionate rates of COVID-19 infection among incarceration-exposed populations (Saloner et al, 2020). The results from the current study detailed that formerly incarcerated individuals were less likely to abide by key COVID-19 mitigation protocols and exposed higher levels of vaccine hesitancy.…”

“It Makes Him Feel Even Farther Away”: Disruptions in Communication Among Families Impacted by Incarceration During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Dallaire and colleagues (2021) concluded that the clarity of the information presented on facilities’ websites was associated with the total number of policy changes made related to other forms of contact with family members. Early research has shown the mental health impacts on families with incarcerated loved ones demonstrating the need to disentangle the role of restrictions on communication (Testa & Fahmy, 2021).…”