Sticking and making: technology as glue for families separated by prison

Abstract

Everydayness links the histories and crescendos of our lives. Once we lose this "glue", many of our reference points for linking these histories are lost and the structure and patterns of our lives start to unravel. For families separated by prison, telephone calls and letters offer a form of glue, but punitive structures place many constraints on this type of communication. These constraints result in a transformation of technology, often resulting in re-configuration to the point where it plays a different role in the prison context. The analysis presented in this paper points to the need for developing both technologies that support the sharing of everyday experiences and that have functionality to help families re-establish and adjust family relationships and roles. In this analysis we consider how the punitive climate impacts on communication technology design and how to balance this climate with the objective of strengthening family ties.