AbstractThis study examines the effects of imprisonment on the families of inmates. Likert scaling procedures were used to meaaire three components of change occurring in 93 families subsequent to the incarceration of the family head. These are: change in sociol acceptance, change in economic status, and change in the degree of sexual and emotional frustration of the wife. Findings indicate that finances and sexual‐emotional frustrations underwent significant change and became problematic for a majority of families. Contrary to expectations, changes in social acceptance of the families were neither significant nor problematic except for a small minorit