Taking Away Hope: Coping Mechanisms among Family Members of Death Row Inmates and of those Serving Life Without Parole

This thesis explores the impacts of having a family member serve a life sentence in the United States, using qualitative methods including interviews and content analysis. I identify the coping mechanisms of families of lifers and consider how these coping mechanisms compare to a closely related population with existing literature on the topic, families of the condemned, using narrative analysis of family members' testimonies from both populations. This study was conducted through the lens of narrative sociology, shaping not only the methodology of the research but the analysis as well. Mental health was found to be a predominant theme in the data, as well as support and victimization. Future research directions and implications of this research are suggested and explored.