Serving a prison sentence brings about numerous changes in the life of the convict. However, the impact of incarceration is not limited to the person serving the sentence; it significantly affects all of the convict’s close relations. The individual is physically removed from family life, which also affects all other aspects of family dynamics. Consequently, interpersonal family relationships often change dramatically, leading in many cases to more frequent or intensified conflicts, separations, or even complete family breakdowns. These consequences frequently manifest as poorer physical and mental health for all involved and/or a decline in the family's economic status.
Offenders are a highly stigmatized group in society. There are few jobs available that provide them with assistance and support, or are trained to handle their specific issues. Some degree of help is accessible within the institution where they are serving their sentence, but this help is quite limited and part of the prison system, which is not ideal. As a result, convicts often remain alone and overlooked, pushed to the margins of society. Their family members, However, often remain even more unnoticed in their distress, becoming what are known as invisible victims of crime (Breen, 2008, p. 19). They are also stigmatized, and frequently actively involved in the process of serving the prison sentence, from arrest, indictment, to filing appeals, visiting the prison, and up to release and reintegration. From the above, it can be inferred that their lives change significantly as well, and they may feel punished for a crime they did not commit (Breen, 2008, p. 19).
In addition, they are often left alone and face a completely new and unknown situation with insufficient information. Currently, in Slovenia, there are no specific organizations, programs, or professionals they can turn to for help. This thesis aims to answer the question of who and what kind of support is available in Slovenia for the family members of convicts before, during, and after their imprisonment. As part of finding an answer to this question, I conducted a study aimed at exploring whether the aforementioned individuals would need or desire additional help and support, in which areas, and in what form this assistance would be optimal for them.
The purpose of the thesis is to highlight the issue of the under-researched field and the neglect of the topic of the impact of serving a prison sentence on the convict’s family members, and to emphasize the need for further research and development of support in Slovenia. I connect all this in the thesis with the aim of forming and developing necessary forms of assistance in the future.
For the research, I used a qualitative research method and conducted three semi-structured interviews with respondents whom I reached through leaflets distributed in the Juvenile correctional facility and Prison Celje, Prison Ig, Prison Ljubljana, Prison Dob, and Prison Maribor in 2023. The results supported the reviewed foreign literature and provided an understanding of the field presented in the theoretical part. The obtained results indicate a need and desire for organizations or programs specialized in providing help and support to individuals exposed to the effects of a close one's imprisonment.
In the conclusion of the thesis, I also provide suggestions for further research on the field of family members of incarcerated individuals and for the development of specialized forms of assistance tailored to this target group.
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