The community plays a crucial role in the grieving process. Social and moral support is important when a family or individual goes through a loss. However, there are instances when such support is withheld as a result of the disapproval or rejection towards the type of loss being grieved, the person being grieved, or the griever themselves. Disenfranchised grief happens when an individual is actively discouraged to grieve as certain losses are considered socially unacceptable.
In some instances, a widespread social stigma is visible not only towards individuals involved with the criminal justice system but their family members also. This process starts during the arrest phase and continues long after sentencing even when an individual returns to the community after serving punishment. Much of the time, many individuals themselves suppress their loss and grief out of fear of rejection from others or due to the shame and deny themselves a healthy resolution of their loss. Not only is the loss downplayed but most of the time it is not even acknowledged. This has a far-reaching consequence on their psychological and emotional health as the process of grief is prolonged and may become toxic.
The biggest impact is on the spouses and partners of men convicted of sex offences. Spouses face an uphill task in supporting partners to reintegrate in the society after the incarceration is over. Support network for the spouses is the need of the hour to provide them an outlet as they undergo considerable turmoil and need help in acknowledging their emotions, reduce stigma and alleviate isolation. Support from family members likely reduces the risk of recidivism. Hence, it is important that disenfranchised grief experienced by spouses is lessened as this will promote public safety. Public education is required regarding sex offending targeting the prevailing misconceptions sometimes fuelled by the uninformed media.
Another collateral damage is the parents whose adult children commit sex offences. Most of the times, they have to act as sureties to get bail for their adult child. They face serious emotional and psychological challenges primarily due to the shame and stigma attached. They also lose social support systems and struggle coping with the ramifications of the legal involvement of their adult child. There is ambiguity in the boundaries and role of the family system caused by this disruption due to sex offending. They experience a fractured family unit and have nowhere to turn to for support due to the shame and stigma involved in this situation. Parents may grieve the loss of connections with the extended family, neighbours and community at large.