We are sticking close to home this week. We share the first part of a panel on the effects of incarceration on families. Max E. Smith, Becky Harris, Stacy Flynn, and Ashley C. Ford speak on their experiences of having incarcerated loved ones or how their time inside affected their family members.

All Indiana residents, they tell us about the stigmas people face when they have family inside as well as the financial burden placed on families. As one panelist mentions, sometimes the pain families endure is seen as an extension of the punishment for the incarcerated person, a cruel way to justify the burden placed on the shoulders of family members.