Between Walls and Screens: Fatherhood, Family Bonds, and Digital Inclusion in Prison

Matilde Zambon
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Matilde Zambon: University of Pisa

Social Inclusion, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: Digital inclusion in prison remains a contested terrain, where access to technologies is tightly regulated and unevenly distributed. During the Covid‐19 pandemic, Italian prisons introduced video calls to compensate for restrictions on in‐person visits. Initially conceived as an emergency measure, this practice has now become a permanent option in many institutions. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in a high‐security prison in Tuscany between 2023 and 2024, this article examines how video calls reshape family relationships and everyday carceral life. The study is based on ten in‐depth interviews with incarcerated fathers who highlighted the significance of video calls in maintaining family bonds. Participants described how digital contact partially mitigates the physical and social distance of imprisonment by allowing them to share domestic spaces, witness daily routines, and sustain a sense of presence in their children’s lives. At the same time, they pointed to persistent barriers to digital inclusion, such as institutional constraints, limited resources, lack of privacy, and difficulties in coordinating schedules with relatives. These findings suggest that video calls contribute to making the prison a more “porous institution” by creating a fragile bridge between the inside and outside. The article situates these experiences within broader debates on digital inequalities, equity, and human rights, showing how access to digital communication can simultaneously alleviate and reproduce forms of exclusion.

Keywords: digital inclusion; digital inequalities; family relationships; incarcerated fatherhood; video calls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v14:y:2026:a:12680

DOI: 10.17645/si.12680

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