My late uncle was in and out of jail most of his life. Petty theft, drugs, etc. I don't really know where he made his wrong turns in his life, but in or out of prison he was just a deeply caring soul.
My children have a cousin in and out of the penal system. Petty stuff.
And they have another cousin in prison as I write this. Wouldn't say that they polish their own apples, yet, ya know what? There was this one bday party that I hosted years ago, the last family party that I threw. My bottle of perfume went missing.
Can I be around them? Sure, why not. Do I invite them in? No, not really. And I'm guessing my other relatives may have hesitated as well with my uncle.

Which then brings up the reality of the ties to MI behind bars.

If your gut says keep your distance, no harm in that.