If you are married or in a serious relationship when you get incarcerated, you may have apprehensions whether your relationship can survive the ordeal of being apart for a long time. There have been numerous relationships broken and wrecked apart because one of the two parties is in prison. Reasons for the break-up vary, starting from the fact that maintaining a long distance relationship is hard enough. Complicate that with having to maintain a relationship with a convict, which has an attached stigma in our society. One cannot also discredit the reason why the person is sent to prison. Of course, it can be quite hard to maintain a relationship with someone who is convicted of multiple murders, sexual offense or child molestation.

However, the question remains: can a relationship survive a prison sentence? Whether you will agree or not, a relationship can actually survive despite incarceration. Of course, this depends on some factors. For instance, if you have just dated the guy for a month and then he gets incarcerated, you probably won’t last long unless you are so madly in love with each other that you are willing to work on it, despite the situation.

On the other hand, couples who had been living together for two to three years can possibly survive for another two years apart. Having already invested time and emotions on the relationship for a long period of time can make a person hold on and wait until the other partner comes back from prison. Of course, it will not be easy but if you are willing to work on it, your relationship will survive whether the sentence requires just a few months to five years in prison.

It is important to note that people in relationships who have successfully hurdled the challenges of incarceration did not make it just by doing nothing. How can a relationship survive a prison sentence if one or both parties are not willing to make a go for it? You should realize that it takes two to tango.

Patience – The party who is left outside has the means and the time to get involved with another while their partner or spouse is serving prison term. If one does not have the patience to wait for the other, then the relationship will definitely not survive. It takes patience and a lot of imagination to entertain and engage in activities that will enhance yourself, instead of trying to find a replacement (temporary or not) for the incarcerated partner.

It could get lonely to be live on your own (especially if you don’t have kids), without a bedmate, someone to do things with or cuddle to when you’re cold. Infidelity or unfaithfulness is often the primary cause of break-up when one is in prison.

Determination – It can be hard to have the determination to stay loyal, true, faithful to the person you love when he is spending time away from you in prison. The tenacity to hold on even amidst the toughest of times is something that people in relationships are experts in. If you are the kind of person who quickly surrenders after some minor setbacks and challenges, then you cannot expect to last long in the relationship arena.

Forgiveness – Depending on the seriousness of the crime, forgiveness is one of the things that can help people sustain relationships. Can a relationship survive a prison sentence? This is greatly dependent on the parties involve. If they work hard on keeping it and if they really love one another, they will surely hurdle the challenges.