Punishment and citizenship: families facing prison social work

This article explores the limitations of prison social work in addressing the citizenship challenges faced by prisoners’ families. While research highlights incarceration's impact on relatives – restricted rights, marginalisation and resource extraction – no studies to date have examined their interactions with prison social workers and treatment staff. Based on 27 interviews with female relatives in Spain, the study reveals systemic failures in support. Families experience Treatment Boards as sources of frustration, navigating the system performing compliance and repentance. The findings critique a control-oriented model and highlight the need for alternative support structures to mitigate citizenship deficits imposed by the penal system.