Social support is often cited as among the most important factors in successful adjustment to prison, reentry, and overall desistance. Yet, few studies have sought to explore the impact of familial social support on incarcerated persons’ experiences in solitary confinement. Analyzing the narratives of men housed in isolation units in one Northwestern state, the present study identifies the variety of experiences they have with social support during isolation, particularly focusing on the prison’s role in structuring relationships between incarcerated persons and their loved ones. Findings reveal that standard communication restrictions in solitary confinement have disparate impacts on differently situated persons living in prisons. Those who are able to maintain familial attachments are able to cope with isolation, first, by maintaining roles in prosocial webs, and second, by accessing material and emotional support, advocacy, and psychological stability. In spite of these benefits, policies and procedures in solitary confinement exacerbate the imprisonment experience and yield negative consequences for prison life, health, family, and prison operations.

社会支持通常被认为是成功适应监狱、再入狱和整体停止的最重要因素之一。然而，很少有研究试图探讨家庭社会支持对被监禁者单独监禁经历的影响。本研究分析了西北部一个州被关押在隔离单位的男性的叙述，确定了他们在隔离期间获得社会支持的各种经历，特别关注监狱在构建被监禁者与其亲人之间的关系方面的作用。调查结果显示，单独监禁中的标准通信限制对生活在监狱中的不同处境的人有不同的影响。能够保持家庭依恋的人，能够应对孤立，首先，通过维持亲社会网络中的角色，其次，通过获得物质和情感支持、倡导和心理稳定。尽管有这些好处，单独监禁的政策和程序会加剧监禁体验，并对监狱生活、健康、家庭和监狱运作产生负面影响。