Research by CFCN
As a national organization dedicated to families for more than 30 years, CFCN has conducted ground-breaking research to understand the experiences of families, their needs, and how they cope with incarceration.
Forgotten Victims: The Mental Health and Well-Being of Families Affected by Crime and Incarceration in Canada
CFCN partnered with Dr. Stacey Hannem (Wilfrid Laurier University) to conduct this ground-breaking research and analysis on the emotional, cognitive, and mental-health effects of incarceration on families.
Family-Victim Research: Needs and Characteristics Ontario Region
Having a loved one incarcerated can be a hardship. Being the direct victim of the crime for which they are serving their sentence is even more challenging. Thanks to funding from Public Safety Canada, CFCN and Dr. Stacey Hannem (Wilfrid Laurier University) explored the needs, characteristics and experiences of family-victims.
Incarcerated Fathers: A Descriptive Analysis
The goal of this study, by Lloyd Withers and Jean Folsom, was to analyze the family situation of a sample of incarcerated fathers in Canada and to examine their pre-incarceration way of life and the frequency of their contact with their children during incarceration.
Recent Research on Families and Corrections in Canada
Researchers across Canada have also conducted informative and insightful research.
Understanding the Experiences and Impacts of Incarceration on Adult Family Members
About: Resource by Sara MacNaull, 2024
This resource includes findings from a recent study on the experiences of adult family members in Ontario, Canada. The findings include the mental and emotional impacts, the role of phone calls, putting life on hold, the focus on the incarcerated person, accepting the unknowns, staying connected to an incarcerated person, the impacts on relationships with others, being viewed as guilty by association, stigma, and coping mechanisms.
“I have to be a man for my son”: The narrative uses of fatherhood in prison
About: Journal article by William J. Schultz, Sandra M. Bucerius, and Kevin D. Haggerty, 2023, Punishment & Society, 25(1), 162–180.
Research on incarcerated fathers often highlights the negative impact of parental incarceration and how having children might encourage fathers to stop committing crimes. However, less attention has been given to how fathers’ views of fatherhood influence their daily experiences in prison. Based on 93 interviews with incarcerated fathers in Western Canada, this study focuses on their parenting stories. These narratives are important because they help fathers shape their identities and influence their behaviour. This research provides insights into the experiences of incarcerated fathers and increases understanding of how individuals in the criminal justice system view and manage their situations.
Incarceration affects not only those in custody but also their families. This article examines how the Ion Mobility Spectrometry device (“Ion scanner”) used during prison visits in Canada impacts the families of those incarcerated. Through testimonies, it explores how the use of this scanner affects families both inside and outside prison, shaping how they interact with the world in a way unique to having an incarcerated loved one.
About: Journal article by Brianna Garneau and Sandra Lehalle, 2021, Incarceration, 2(2), 1-18.
Shared reading for strengthened relationships among those experiencing maternal incarceration
About: Journal article by Alison Brown, Vivian Howard, and Jennifer Grek Martin, 2019, The Library Quarterly, 89(3), 203–216.
Women are the fastest-growing prison population in Canada, with about 75% being mothers of children under 18. For many, contact with their children is limited. Maternal incarceration can disrupt the mother-child bond, leading to mental and physical health issues, as well as increased anxiety, depression, and isolation. This article looks at the impact of a shared reading program on incarcerated women and their children. The results show that shared reading can improve mother-child contact, strengthen relationships, encourage a love of reading, and boost self-worth.
Food security in the context of paternal incarceration: Family impact perspectives
About: Journal article by Karen M. Davison, Carla D’Andreamatteo, Sabina Markham, Clifford Holloway, Gillian Marshall, and Victoria L. Smye, 2019, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5), 776.
Research on the effects of paternal incarceration on family well-being has grown, but food insecurity has not been widely explored. This study aimed to understand the relationship between paternal incarceration and family food insecurity in Canada. Over 24 months, the research involved observing and interviewing formerly incarcerated fathers, their partners, and key stakeholders. The analysis showed that food insecurity was influenced by factors such as economic, social, health, and relationship issues before incarceration, as well as stigma, social barriers, and systemic constraints.
The curious invisibility of children of prisoners in Canadian criminal justice policy
About: Journal article by Else Marie Knudsen, 2019, Criminologie, 52(1), 177.
Children with incarcerated parents face various risks, yet in Canada, little is known about them, and their needs are often overlooked. The lack of information and failure of the criminal justice system to provide support or recognition makes these children "invisible." Based on a recent study of parental incarceration, this article highlights how the experiences and needs of these children are especially ignored.