“In this meticulous ethnography, Megan Comfort documents how the wives and girlfriends of inmates experience, directly and vicariously, the pains of confinement and the humiliations of imprisonment. But she also shows how these women rework their ideals of romance and relationships to adapt to the realities of prison, and, most remarkably, how they sometimes use their partner’s incarceration to their advantage in shaping the terms of their relationships. This beautifully written book does a brilliant job of tracing this, and other, complex truths in a detached, detailed, and thoroughly insightful manner.”--David Garland, author of The Culture of Control

David Garland

“Megan Comfort’s book on how a large correctional facility changes the behavior of women partners of prisoners is a tour de force. Doing Time Together is one of those rare studies with information and insights that are totally new and surprising. This well-written and engaging book will be widely read and could become a classic.”

William Julius Wilson, author of When Work Disappears

“Ninety-three percent of the nation’s prisoners are men. So what happens to their wives and girlfriends? In her deeply insightful and beautifully written book, Megan Comfort gives us an unexpected answer. With their endless pre-visit waits in the ‘tube,’ dreaded encounters with hostile guards, and strict rules on clothing, they are ‘convicted’ too. But paradoxically, prison can also make once-violent or drug-addicted men into more stable, loyal, and loving partners. We put down this brilliant book wondering where the women’s prison really is—in or outside the prison walls?”

Arlie Hochschild, author of The Commercialization of Intimate Life

“"[Comfort’s] findings should astound readers who might tend to look at these women as lacking in good judgment. . . . People concerned with prisoners’ rights and women’s struggles will find much food for thought here. . . . Comfort’s description of the transition between the free world and the prison world is a little gem.”

Library Journal

"The depth and authenticity of [Comfort’s] fieldwork, and the constant weaving in of the women’s stories, makes this book much more than just an academic text. . . . A rich and thoroughly engaging book that illuminates hitherto hidden consequences of both the US and UK punitiv eculture and should cause policy-makers to reconsider the purpose of imprisonment and who indeed is being punished."

Lucy Gampell | Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law