320 12 Corrections and Prison Practices—Family Forensics
Forensic Psychology and Policy Implications
An important consideration in these make-believe families is to understand why
the inmates find them necessary. As the literature has suggested, female inmates
find that they are an important source of support and a necessity in adjusting to
the prison environment. Psychologists and mental health workers should play a
significant role in helping inmates and correctional staff identify this need. Policies
should be implemented to assist these women in their initial adjustment to prison.
Psychologists must make correctional staff aware of the types of issues these women
confront upon entry into the prison system so that staff can assist them during the
transition. This could prevent some acting-out behaviors that the women might
otherwise exhibit out of fear and insecurity.
Policies also should be developed to prevent women from being labeled as lesbians
and placed in separate housing units if these prisoners do not view themselves in
such a manner. If female inmates assume a role in a homosexual relationship only
while in prison, then when nearing release, they should be assisted in coming to
terms with this. They also will need assistance in transitioningback into heterosexual
relationships and into their real families.
Another dimension to consider when dealing with female inmates is their nat-
ural families on the outside. Policies should be developed to help women maintain
connections with their friends and families so that the need to create make-believe
ones will not be necessary. If a women enters prison and does not have any connec-
tions to anyone outside of prison, then correctional staff and psychologists should
assist her in developing ties to the community in the form of education, voca-
tion, and community service. In this way, the inmate may have something to look
forward to upon release and not feel so alone upon having to leave her prison
family.
Suggestions for Future ResearchIn recent years, not much research has been conducted on female inmates' make-
believe families. Much of the research was conducted in the late 1960s and 1970s,
with a few scattered studies in the early 1990s. If this is a phenomenon which is
no longer as prevalent in prisons, then studies should be conducted to determine
why this is so and what may have taken its place. If women no longer feel the need
for these families, then what are they doing to adjust to prison life? More current
investigations need to be implemented.
An area of research that has been neglected is learning how men adjust to and
cope with prison life. If they do not create surrogate families in prison, then it is
important to learn what they do instead? Are their mechanisms for coping effective,
and, if not, then what can be done to assist them? If men are able to maintain ties
with their real families, then it would be helpful to know how they manage to