Doing Time Together : Love and Family in the Shadow of the Prison

By quadrupling the number of people behind bars in two decades, the United States has become the world leader in incarceration. Much has been written on the men who make up the vast majority of the nation’s two million inmates. But what of the women they leave behind? __Doing Time Together__ vividly details the ways that prisons shape and infiltrate the lives of women with husbands, fiancés, and boyfriends on the inside. Megan Comfort spent years getting to know women visiting men at San Quentin State Prison, observing how their romantic relationships drew them into contact with the penitentiary. Tangling with the prison’s intrusive scrutiny and rigid rules turns these women into “quasi-inmates,” eroding the boundary between home and prison and altering their sense of intimacy, love, and justice. Yet Comfort also finds that with social welfare weakened, prisons are the most powerful public institutions available to women struggling to overcome untreated social ills and sustain relationships with marginalized men. As a result, they express great ambivalence about the prison and the control it exerts over their daily lives. An illuminating analysis of women caught in the shadow of America’s massive prison system, Comfort’s book will be essential for anyone concerned with the consequences of our punitive culture. Doing Time Together Vividly Details The Ways That Prisons Shape And Infiltrate The Lives Of Women With Husbands, Fianceś, And Boyfriends Behind Bars. Megan Comfort Spent Years Getting To Know Women Visiting Men At San Quentin State Prison, Observing How Their Romantic Relationships Drew Them Into Close Contact With The Penitentiary. Tangling With The Prison{u2019}s Intrusive Scrutiny And Rigid Rules Turns These Women Into Quasi-inmates, Eroding The Boundary Between Home And Prison And Altering Their Sense Of Intimacy, Love, And Justice. Yet Comfort Also Finds That With Social Welfare Weakened, Prisons Are The Most Powerful Public Institutions Available To Low-income Women Struggling To Overcome Untreated Social Ills And Sustain Relationships With Marginalized Men. As A Result, Their Dealings With The Prison And The Social Control It Exerts Over Their Lives Are Riven With Profound Ambivalence. An Illuminating Analysis Of Women Caught In The Shadow Of America's Massive Prison System, Doing Time Together Will Be Essential For Anyone Concerned With The Consequences Of Our Punitive Culture --unedited Summary From Book Cover. Outside The Prison Walls -- On-line At San Quentin -- We Share Everything We Can The Best Way We Can -- Papa's House: The Prison As Domestic Satellite -- It's A Lot Of Good Men Behind Walls! -- The Long Way Home. Megan Comfort. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 231-250) And Index.