Facing the Ties That Bind: Understanding Experiences of Men With An Incarcerated Romantic Partner

This study examines what it means to be a man with an incarcerated romantic partner. Despite recognition that those experiencing familial incarceration are a heterogeneous group, the extant literature lacks a clear focus of the experience of men with incarcerated romantic partners. Using a phenomenological design, the researchers interviewed seven men with incarcerated romantic partners to explicate the essential structures of their lived experience. The interviews are explicated into six essences illuminating the experience of being a man with an incarcerated partner. Identified essences explored are: embodying the social tie facilitator, love and commitment living in future time, the sense of something missing, felt confinement, and the new normal. Fifteen additional sub-themes are discussed. These findings inform implications for both future research and policies that can aid in maintaining the ties that bind during familial incarceration.