‘Mentally, I will never be what I was’: the psychological and emotional implications of incarceration on adult family members in Ontario, Canada

On any given day, tens of thousands of people are in custody in Canada’s correctional systems. Serving time in prison affects the person incarcerated and their family and/or loved ones psychologically and emotionally. To explore how, we interviewed 15 adults residing in Ontario with family members incarcerated in Canada. Our focus was on the adult family members’ experiences and the effects of having a family member in prison on their well-being. Our findings reveal the potential reach and penetration of a family member’s experience and the associated toll on their psychological and emotional well-being, particularly the toll of limited and costly phone calls with their incarcerated loved ones and feelings of grief and loss.