Relational trauma: the impact on family relationships of maternal imprisonment

This article presents findings on the impact of maternal imprisonment on wider relationships within the family. Previous research has detailed the significant impact that maternal imprisonment may have on mothers and their children. Relational theory suggests that connections and relationships may be more important for women and that this has an impact on desistance and recovery. This article applies relational theory to the wider impacts of maternal imprisonment, presenting new findings on the intergenerational family impacts. This includes impacts on the mother-child relationship and older children (aged 13+), and mothers’ relationships with kinship carers, particularly grandmothers. The evidence presented shows how relationships within the family are often irreparably harmed by imprisonment and what can be termed ‘relational trauma’. Findings suggest that the significant impact that maternal imprisonment has on the wider family should be considered when sentencing mothers to custodial sentences.