This handbook brings together the international research focussing on prisoners' families and the impact of imprisonment on them. Under-researched and under-theorised in the realm of scholarship on imprisonment, this handbook encompasses a broad range of original, interdisciplinary and cross-national research. This volume includes the experiences of those from countries often unrepresented in the prisoner's families' literature such as Russia, Australia, Israel and Canada. This broad coverage allows readers to consider how prisoners' families are affected by imprisonment in countries embracing very different penal philosophies; ranging from the hyper-incarceration being experienced in the USA to the less punitive, more welfare-orientated practices under Scandinavian 'exceptionalism'.

Chapters are contributed by scholars from numerous and diverse disciplines ranging from law, nursing, criminology, psychology, human geography, and education studies. Furthermore, contributions span various methodological and epistemological approaches with important contributions from NGOs working in this area at a national and supranational level. The Palgrave Handbook of Prison and the Family makes a significant contribution to knowledge about who prisoners' families are and what this status means in practice. It also recognises the autonomy and value of prisoners' families as a research subject in their own right.

1. Introduction

2. Prisoners' Families Research :  Developments,  Debates  And Directions
3. Inmate  Social  Ties,  Recidivism,  And  Continuing  Questions  About  Prison  Visitation.-4. Who  Are  Prisoners'  Family  Members?: Towards An  Holistic  And  Intersectional  Framework
5. A  Holistic  Approach  To  Prisoners'  Families  -  From  Arrest  To  Release
6. Opportunities And Challenges For Work On Behalf Of Families Affected By Imprisonment; The Experience Of Families Outside
7. Experiences Of Male Partners Of Women Prisoners In Israel
8. The Traumatic Bereavement Of Children Experiencing The Loss Of A Loved One To Death Row
9. Relatives Of Registered Sex Offenders: Considering The Costs Of Providing Family Support
10. Partners Of  Incarcerated  Men: Questioning Caring Stereotypes
11. A Comparison OfThe Position Of Grandmother Carers For Children With Parents In Prison In The United Kingdom, Trinidad And Tobago, Romania And Uganda
11. Families' Experiences In A Prison Visitors' Centre
12. Prison Visitation As Accessible Engagement: Encounters, Bystanders, Performance And Inattention
13. Acorn House Revisited: 'Think Family, Up And Down And Side To Side'
14. Ben Raikes And Kelly Lockwood
15. The Rights Of Children With An Imprisoned Parent In The Republic Of Ireland
16. Hearing Children's Voices In Studies Of Familial Incarceration: Experiences From A Canadian Study
17. A Labour Of Love: The Experiences Of Parents Of Prisoners And Their Role As Human Rights Protectors.-18. Reflecting On The Value(S) Of Family Interventions For People Subject To Punishment In The Community.-19. Mothering Under Community Criminal Justice Supervision In The United States
20. Intergeneration Transmission Of Criminal Behaviour
21. Intergenerational Social Exclusion In Prisoners' Families
22. School Experiences Of Children Of Prisoners: Strengthening Support In Schools In England And Wales.