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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for children of prisoners
103 results foundAuthor: Schwartz-Soicher, Ofira Title: The Effect of Paternal Incarceration on Material Hardship Summary: This study utilizes Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data to examine whether an incarceration of a father increases the extent to which their partners and children experience material hardship. Using various modeling strategies (negative binomial regressions, propensity scores, lagged dependent variable and individual fixed-effects models) the authors find that the incarceration of a father indeed does increase hardship for families. Further findings indicate that father's incarceration contributes to hardship not only by reducing income, but also by seriously disrupting household relationships and routines. Details: New York: Columbia University, 2009. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed April 25, 2018 at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259709694_The_Effect_of_Paternal_Incarceration_on_Material_Hardship Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259709694_The_Effect_of_Paternal_Incarceration_on_Material_Hardship Shelf Number: 117086 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesIncarceration |
Author: Perry, Virginia Title: Evaluation of the Mothering at a Distance Program Summary: The Mothering at a Distance (MAAD) Program is a 10-session parenting program, which has been conducted at a number of New South Wales Department of Corrective Services correctional centers for female inmates. The aims of this study is to assess the development, implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of the MAAD program. Details: Sydney: New South Wales, Department of Corrective Services, 2009. 100p. Source: http://www.correctiveservices.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Evaluation-of-the-Mothering-at-a-Distance_Program.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Australia URL: http://www.correctiveservices.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Evaluation-of-the-Mothering-at-a-Distance_Program.pdf Shelf Number: 116651 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCorrectional ProgramsFamilies of InmatesFemale OffendersMothering |
Author: Baldry, Eileen Title: Aborginal Women with Dependent Children Leaving Prison Project: Needs Analysis Report Summary: This project investigates the transitional and post release needs of Aborginal women with dependent children who are exiting prison in Western Sydney, Australia. It aims to understand their needs; appropriate services available and servive gaps in the area, in order to recommend a service model and evaluation framework addressing these needs. In the longer term it is meant to inform a supported housing pilot project for this group of women and their children. Details: Sydney: University of New South Wales; NSW Department of Community Services; Homelessness NSW, 2008. 114p. Source: Year: 2008 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 113490 Keywords: AboriginalsChildren of PrisonersEx-Offenders, Services for |
Author: Glover, Jane Title: Every Night You Cry: The Realities of Having A Parent in Prison Summary: This research brief reports on the impact of parental imprisonment for the children and partners of 15 male prisoners in Bristol, England. Barnardo's identified 15 women whose children have a father in prison, and who were willing to tell their story. Eleven of their children also agreed to speak to the interviewers. This report presents the outcomes of these interviews. Details: Ilford, UK: Barnardo's, 2009. 14p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 118378 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Bhana, Kailash Title: Now We Have Nothing: Exploring the Impact of Maternal imprisonment on Children Whose Mothers Killed an Abusive Partner Summary: This study draws on the life experiences of 16 children whose mothers are serving long prison sentences at Johannesburg Central Prison for killing their abusive partners. The study concludes that long-term imprisonment for the mother is not in the child's best interest. Details: Johannesburg: Centre for the Study of Violence & Reconciliation, 2001. 43p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2001 Country: South Africa URL: Shelf Number: 117756 Keywords: Children of PrisonersDomestic ViolenceFamily ViolenceWomen Prisoners, Family Relationships |
Author: Villanueva, Chandra Kring Title: Mothers, Infants and Imprisonment: A National Look at Prison Nurseries and Community-Based Alternatives Summary: This is the first U.S. national report on prison nursery programs. The report examines the expansion of prison nursery programs across the U.S. These programs allow incarcerated women to keep their newborns with them in prison for a finite period of time. The report also looks at community-based residential parenting programs, which allow women to serve criminal justice sentences with their infants in a non-prison setting. The report finds that the number of prison-based nursery programs is growing, but such programs are still relatively rare. Though every state has seen a dramatic rise in its women’s prison population over the past three decades, only nine states have prison nursery programs in operation or under development. Of the nine prison nursery programs existing or in development, four were created within the last five years. Details: New York: Women's Prison Association, Institute on Women and Criminal Justice, 2009. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2010 at: http://www.wpaonline.org/pdf/Mothers%20Infants%20and%20Imprisonment%202009.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.wpaonline.org/pdf/Mothers%20Infants%20and%20Imprisonment%202009.pdf Shelf Number: 119685 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCommunity-based CorrectionsFemale InmatesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Saar, Malika Saada Title: Mothers Behind Bars: A State-by-State Analysis of Federal Policies on Conditions of Confinement for Pregnant and Parenting Women and the Effect on Their Children Summary: There are now more women behind bars than at any other point in U.S. history. Women have borne a disproportionate burden of the war on drugs, resulting in a monumental increase of women who are facing incarceration for the first time, overwhelmingly for non-violent offenses. This rampant incarceration has a devastating impact on families. Most of these women, unseen and largely forgotten, are mothers. Unfortunately, pregnant women, incarcerated women and their children are subject to federal and state correctional policies that fail to recognize their distinct needs or honor their families. The Rebecca Project and the National Women’s Law Center collaborated on this Report Card, which analyzes federal and state policies on prenatal care, shackling, and alternative sentencing programs and grades states on whether their policies help or harm incarcerated women in these key areas. This effort is intended to help advocates assess their own state’s policies affecting these significant phases of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting. The Report Card also provides an analysis of related federal laws and policies regarding conditions of confinement for women in federal prisons and immigration detention facilities. Additionally, it assesses how the federal government funds state programs that serve incarcerated pregnant or parenting women. For reasons discussed below in the federal findings section, the federal government does not receive a grade. Rather, the Report Card identifies areas where the federal government is making commendable gains in the humane treatment of incarcerated women who are pregnant or parenting and provides specific recommendations for areas that need improvement. Details: Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Shelf Number: 120361 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Allard, Patricia Title: Children on the Outside: Voicing the Pain and Human Costs of Parental Incarceration Summary: The report details the challenges faced by children of incarcerated parents whose experience of grief and loss is compounded by economic insecurity, family instability, a compromised sense of self-worth, attachment and trust problems, and social stigmatization when their parents are incarcerated. The report outlines the ways in which parental incarceration can influence negative outcomes for youth, including mental health problems, possible school failure and unemployment, and antisocial and delinquent behavior. As with the punitive consequences of our mandatory sentencing and mass incarceration policies, the impact of parental incarceration falls disproportionately on children of color. African American children are seven times and Latino children two and half times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children. The estimated risk of parental imprisonment for white children by the age of 14 is one in 25, while for black children it is one in four by the same age. Details: Brooklyn, NY: Justice Strategies, 2011. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2011 at: http://www.justicestrategies.org/sites/default/files/publications/JS-COIP-1-13-11.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.justicestrategies.org/sites/default/files/publications/JS-COIP-1-13-11.pdf Shelf Number: 120686 Keywords: Children of Prisoners |
Author: Lengyel, Thomas E. Title: Spreading the Pain: The Social Cost of Incarcerating Parents Summary: This paper sets out to itemize and estimate the social costs and benefits incurred by the incarceration of parents who have minor children. We do so by assembling and integrating a diverse set of studies addressing the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of social service programs, costof- illness studies of drug and alcohol abuse, cost of crime studies, and a very small set of studies of the costs of incarceration itself. Few authors have previously attempted a comprehensive, societal approach and none have systematically itemized costs and benefits for incarceration. In the first section we examine the definition of social cost and the debate about “external” versus “internal” cost. Based on studies of the social costs of drug abuse and crime we then provide an inventory of the elements of social cost and benefit and motivate per-offender estimates of these amounts for incarcerated drug offenders in New York State. We summarize the total internal and external costs and benefits for the cohort of drug offenders released from New York State prisons during 2005 and compare these costs and benefits with the alternative of community-based drug treatment. In a separate, supporting study (Ziebert 2006) we examine the literature that attempts to relate parental incarceration to various effects in their children. Details: New York: Alliance for Children and Families, Department of Research & Evaluation Services, 2006. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Draft Report: Accessed March 11, 2011 at: http://www.fcnetwork.org/reading/lengyel-spreading-the-pain.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: http://www.fcnetwork.org/reading/lengyel-spreading-the-pain.pdf Shelf Number: 120979 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCost-Benefit Analysis |
Author: Boswell, Gwyneth Title: Time Apart: A Seven-Year Project to Help Children and Families Affected by Imprisonment. Evaluation of the Work of the Eastern Region Families Partnership 2002-2009 Summary: The Eastern Region Families Partnership (ERFP) was established in 2001 to support and develop services to prisoners' children and families and to prisoner resettlement in the Eastern region. The partnership was between a grant-making body, an voluntary agency and HM Prison service. This research aimed to assess the effectiveness of the ERFP and its programme of work during its seven-year life and to make recommendations for their future development. A wide range of data was analysed during the study including semi-structured interviews and questionnaires of 212 people comprising of staff, volunteers, Board members, regional stakeholders, and service users including prisoners, partners/child carers and children. the key evaluation outcomes of the research are identified under the headings of: programme, the degree of effectiveness with which the projects have been implemented; the process, the extent to which the key implementers consider the policy and organisational framework helps their daily operations; and product, the overall extent to which Partnerships stated objectives have been met. The results of the evaluation are discussed in terms of the programme, the process and product. In its conclusion the evaluation commends the model and finds the services effective. Details: Ipswich: Ormiston Children and Families Trust, 2009. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Executive Summary Accessed April 15, 2011 at: http://www.youngsouthampton.org/images/Time_Apart_Executive_Summary_tcm21-249124.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.youngsouthampton.org/images/Time_Apart_Executive_Summary_tcm21-249124.pdf Shelf Number: 121358 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFamilies of Prisoners (U.K.) |
Author: Las Casas, Lucy de Title: Measuring Together: Improving Prisoners' Family Ties: Piloting a Shared Measurement Approach Summary: Families are important to anyone - but for prisoners, family ties can make all the difference to rehabilitation. Prisoners who are visited by a relative are 39% less likely to re-offend within a year of release than those who receive no visits. Good relationships between prisoners and their families can also help by boosting employment prospects, improving children's well-being, and reducing homelessness. There are many charities working with prisoners and their families to build and maintain these relationships. They provide visitors centres, run activities to bring families together, train prison staff, and even help prisoners record bedtime stories for their children. But measuring the difference these activities make is difficult - the outcomes are largley intangible and the criminal justice system complex. To try to tackle some of these problems, NPC used a shared measurement approach, working with experts in the field and six charities to understand how different activities can improve family relationships, and how this can be measured. This report recommends how government, funders and charities can strengthen measurement in the sector and help to improve family relationships. The visitor experience and family relationships questionnaires developed as part of this project have helped to start establishing a framework for more standardised measurement in the sector. However, both tools are at an early stage in their development, and need to be developed and refined in light of the pilot, and tested at a greater scale in more diverse settings, before being made available more widely. Details: London: New Philanthropy Capital, 2011. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2011 at: http://www.philanthropycapital.org/download/default.aspx?id=1144 Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.philanthropycapital.org/download/default.aspx?id=1144 Shelf Number: 121481 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (U.K.) |
Author: George, Susan Title: Incarcerated Women, Their Children, and the Nexus with Foster Care Summary: This study illustrates how state administrative data can be used to assess the relationships between the criminal justice and child welfare systems. After matching corrections data on female offenders from Illinois to the state’s child welfare records, we examine the incidence of childhood foster care spells among incarcerated women, the incidence of female prisoners having their own children in foster care, and how time in prison or jail is associated with different foster care outcomes, such as the loss of parental rights. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley; Chicago: Harris School, University of Chicago, 2007. 146p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2011 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234110.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/234110.pdf Shelf Number: 121590 Keywords: Child Welfare (Illinois)Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFoster Care |
Author: Robertson, Oliver Title: Children Imprisoned by Circumstance Summary: Around the world children who have committed no crime live in prison. There with mothers accused or convicted of an offence, these children are too often ignored by prison systems and officials, with their needs and best interests unmet. The decision whether to allow a child to live in prison with her/his mother involves two unpalatable options: do you separate a child from her/his mother or have the child live in prison? But the issue is much broader than a single decision and the impact on the child is felt before, during and after the period of imprisonment. At all stages of the criminal justice process, from the point of arrest to the time of release and reintegration into the community, a woman may have children living with her. At all of these stages the needs and best interests of the children should be considered. The issue of children living in prison has many features, but in this paper the focus is primarily on the times before and after imprisonment: the situations in which children enter prison and the effect it has on them after they leave. Different children are affected differently. As well as living with a mother serving a custodial sentence, children may also stay with her while she is in police custody during the investigation or during a period of pre-trial detention. Some children move into prison from a home in the community, others are born during the mother’s imprisonment. When they leave, children either do so with their mother or before her. Some have spent time in the community before or during their time in prison; others have lived in prison their entire lives. Some children are detained with their mother prior to her trial, either when she is arrested and questioned or during a period of pre-trial detention. Conditions in pre-trial detention centres and police stations may be even more inappropriate than those in prison and they are less likely to include specialist child-friendly facilities. This is particularly significant in jurisdictions where people are held in pre-trial detention for months or even years and underlines the importance of ensuring that pre-trial detention is used only as a last resort. Caring responsibilities may mean that a suspect is less likely to abscond and should be taken into account when deciding whether pre-trial detention is needed. When a case comes to trial and a woman is found guilty, some courts take into account the impact of a sentence on any children. Women with children may be given a fixed sentence (in Kyrgyzstan first-time women offenders with children under 14 generally have their sentences suspended) or the sentence may vary depending on the best interests of the child (this is now required in South Africa, following a Constitutional Court judgement in 2007). However, if a mother is imprisoned, children may live in prison with her only in certain circumstances. If they are too old or have reached certain developmental stages (for example, have stopped breastfeeding) or if the prison does not have appropriate facilities to house them, children may be denied entry. In some countries children born during a mother’s imprisonment are allowed to stay with her, but children born before the imprisonment are not. This issue, of the restrictions on entry, is one where there is little consensus among States: some countries ban children of any age from living in prison; in others children can stay until they are four, five or six years old or even older. It is also an area with no acknowledged best practice – the conditions in which children live, the opportunities they have for development and the contact they have with the outside world all vary widely – and there has been very little long-term or comparative research which assesses the effects that different policies have on children’s future prospects. The entry of children into prison should be recorded in the same way as happens to prisoners, to prevent their becoming ‘lost’ or forgotten by the authorities. While they remain in prison, children, who have committed no crime, should not be subject to the same restrictions as prisoners. Their physical, emotional, social and/or intellectual development should not be damaged by living in prison. Support for children may include provision of nurseries or schools, visits outside the prison and/or contact with relatives living in the community. Acclimatising them to the world outside is important not only to promote their development, but also to prepare them for living in the community once they leave prison. There are reports of children being scared of aeroplanes, cars, trees or men when they are released because they have not encountered them before. When children do leave prison, they may do so with or without their mother. There is often a preference for mothers and children to leave together so as to avoid separating then reuniting them months or possibly weeks later. For this reason, rules about when children must leave prison frequently include some flexibility to allow them to stay longer than the official maximum if the mother herself is shortly to be released. When children leave before their mothers, they will be looked after by alternative carers. These are often other family members, but may include other members of the community or foster carers or being placed in institutional care. Meetings between the children, the mother and/or the new carers sometimes take place before and after the children’s release from prison to help them adjust to their new living situation. Many children, particularly those with no experience of life outside prison, may have difficulty integrating into the community. Many women in prison were poor to begin with and come out of prison poorer than they went in. They may have difficulty finding stable work and accommodation, which will obviously impact on any children with her. Ongoing post-release support should be provided to both mother and child, both for humanitarian reasons and to prevent future criminal behaviour on the part of either the mother or (in the future) the children. Moreso than many other issues, this is one where prevention really is better than cure. Due to the problems that occur by having children living in prison, officials should consider alternatives at every stage of the criminal justice process. Crime prevention strategies to support women in avoiding criminal behaviour altogether, diverting women away from formal judicial procedures by using measures such as restorative justice processes, avoiding pre-trial detention and imposing non-custodial sentences on woman with caring responsibilities: all of these should utilised to avoid the negative effects of parental imprisonment on children. Whether they live in prison or remain outside, the children of prisoners have committed no crime and should suffer for none. It is the responsibility of all involved in the criminal justice process to ensure that this is so. Details: Geneva: Quaker United Nations Office, 2008. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 5, 2011 at: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/200804childrenImprisonedByCircumstance-English.pdf Year: 2008 Country: International URL: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/200804childrenImprisonedByCircumstance-English.pdf Shelf Number: 110516 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: California State University, San Bernardino. Center for the Study of Correctional Education Title: Service Provision for Inmate/Parolee Families: A Review of the Literature Summary: This paper reviews research illustrating the need for working with children and families of incarcerated adults and provides a set of recommendations for best practices in addressing this population. Details: San Bernadino, CA: Center for the Study of Correctional Education, 2009. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 26, 2011 at: http://coe.csusb.edu/programs/correctionalEd/documents/Service_Provis.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://coe.csusb.edu/programs/correctionalEd/documents/Service_Provis.pdf Shelf Number: 122553 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner ReentryRehabilitation |
Author: Hairston, Creasie Finney Title: Focus on Children with Incarcerated Parents: An Overview of the Research Literature Summary: What is it like to grow up with a parent in prison? What are the immediate and long-term effects of parental incarceration on children? How can we best serve the needs of these children and ensure that they receive the support they need to thrive under challenging circumstances? These are questions that still need to be answered. Research that focuses on children whose parents are incarcerated has been quite limited, despite the growing numbers of children who are affected by the imprisonment of their mother or father. Over 1.5 million children in the United States have a parent who is in prison. Several million more have grown up with a parent in prison during some part of their formative years. The children of incarcerated parents have long been an almost invisible population, but in recent years, they have begun to receive attention from public policymakers, traditional social service providers and academic researchers. Some, concerned about the rapidly growing correctional population of more than two million people, fear that these children are at a higher risk to become incarcerated themselves as adults. Others are motivated by a desire to better understand and promote the well-being of children living in challenging life circumstances. As government and foundations begin to support research and expand the development of programs and services for incarcerated parents and their children, it is an opportune time to review the research and resources that exist around this complex issue. Focus on Children with Incarcerated Parents provides an overview of major research findings concerning children whose parents are incarcerated. The report is intended to serve as a foundation for this developing area of service and 2. Sabol, Minton,& Harrison, 2007 inquiry, and its focus is on the children themselves. Although imprisonment is a global issue, and similar situations and concerns may affect other countries, Focus on Children with Incarcerated Parents is confined primarily to studies about prisoners and their children in the United States. This overview is based primarily on research published during the last 20 years, though some earlier works are included. It also draws on several years of consultation on programs and research involving prisoners and their families. Details: Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2007. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 24, 2011 at: http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Topics/Special%20Interest%20Areas/Incarceration%20and%20Reentry/FocusonChildrenwithIncarceratedParentsAnOverv/HAIRSTON.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Topics/Special%20Interest%20Areas/Incarceration%20and%20Reentry/FocusonChildrenwithIncarceratedParentsAnOverv/HAIRSTON.pdf Shelf Number: 122893 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Child Welfare: More Information and Collaboration Could Promote Ties Between Foster Care Children and Their Incarcerated Parents Summary: Federal law sets timelines for states' decisions about placing foster care children in permanent homes, and, in some cases, for filing to terminate parental rights. Some policymakers have questioned the reasonableness of these timelines for children of incarcerated parents and expressed interest in how states work with these families. GAO was asked to examine: (1) the number of foster care children with incarcerated parents, (2) strategies used by child welfare and corrections agencies in selected states that may support contact or reunification, and (3) how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have helped these agencies support affected children and families. GAO analyzed national data, reviewed federal policies, interviewed state child welfare and corrections officials in 10 selected states that contain almost half of the nation's prison and foster care populations, and visited local child welfare agencies and prisons. Foster care children with an incarcerated parent are not a well-identified population, although they are likely to number in the tens of thousands. HHS data collected from states show that, in 2009 alone, more than 14,000 children entered foster care due at least partly to the incarceration of a parent. This may be an undercount, however, due to some underreporting from states and other factors. For instance, the data do not identify when a parent is incarcerated after the child entered foster care--a more common occurrence, according to case workers GAO interviewed. HHS is currently developing a proposal for new state reporting requirements on all foster care children; however, officials had not determined whether these new requirements would include more information collected from states on children with incarcerated parents. In 10 selected states, GAO found a range of strategies that support family ties. Some state child welfare agencies have provided guidance and training to caseworkers for managing such cases; and local agencies have worked with dependency courts to help inmates participate in child welfare hearings by phone or other means. For their part, some corrections agencies ease children's visits to prisons with special visitation hours and programs. In several cases, corrections agencies and child welfare agencies have collaborated, which has resulted in some interagency training for personnel, the creation of liaison staff positions, and video visitation facilitated by non-profit providers. HHS and DOJ each provide information and assistance to child welfare and corrections agencies on behalf of these children and families. For example, both federal agencies post information on their websites for practitioners working with children or their incarcerated parents, with some specific to foster care. The HHS information, however, was not always up to date or centrally organized, and officials from most of the state child welfare and corrections agencies GAO interviewed said they would benefit from information on how to serve these children. Further, DOJ has not developed protocols for federal prisons under its own jurisdiction for working with child welfare agencies and their staff, although GAO heard from some state and local child welfare officials that collaboration between child welfare and corrections agencies would facilitate their work with foster care children and their parents. This would also be in keeping with a DOJ agency goal to build partnerships with other entities to improve services and promote reintegration of offenders into communities. GAO recommends that HHS improve its data on the foster care children of incarcerated parents and that it more systematically disseminate information to child welfare agencies. GAO also recommends that DOJ consider ways to promote collaboration between corrections and child welfare agencies, including establishing protocols for federal prisons to facilitate communication between these entities. HHS and DOJ agreed with GAO's recommendations. Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2011. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: GAO-11-863: Accessed September 27, 2011 at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11863.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11863.pdf Shelf Number: 122921 Keywords: Child Welfare (U.S.)Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFoster Care |
Author: Meyerson, Jessica Title: Strengthening Families Impacted by Incarceration: A Review of Current Research and Practice Summary: In early 2009 the Volunteers of America announced plans to launch a new nationwide “Family Strengthening” initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to strengthen and support families affected by parental incarceration. Five pilot sites, Volunteers of America Dakotas, Volunteers of America Illinois ,Volunteers of America Indiana, Volunteers of America Northern New England, and Volunteers of America Texas have been selected to design and implement the new initiative. In February 2009, Volunteers of America asked Wilder Research to conduct a thorough literature review to identify any research-based programs or practices that could be incorporated into the new Family Strengthening model. The literature reviewed for this report includes: Research-based analyses and scholarly articles by leaders in the reentry field (e.g., Petersilia, 2004 and Travis and Waul, 2003); Studies commissioned by governmental agencies (e.g., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Justice, etc.) Reports by leading organizations committed to the issue of reentry, child well-being, or crime reduction (e.g., Public/Private Ventures, the Urban Institute, Family Justice, National Crime Prevention Council, Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Family Corrections Network, etc.) Well-established “best practices” and “evidence-based programs” directories and compendia (e.g., SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide, the Children Bureau’s Child Information Gateway, etc.) Unfortunately, rigorous evaluations of what works in the arenas of prisoner reentry and working with families affected by incarceration are notoriously scarce. One meta-analysis of the reentry field found that for the entire 25 year period from 1975-2000, when “hundreds of work release programs, halfway houses, job training education programs, prerelease classes, and so forth, were implemented in the U.S., the literature contains only nine credible evaluations” (Petersilia, 2004). Indeed, as far as the authors of this report could determine, no “evidence-based” program currently provides truly comprehensive, long-term supportive services to entire families affected by incarceration. However, there are several prisoner reentry programs that have successfully incorporated some elements of family support into their approach (e.g., Family Justice’s La Bodega de Familia program and the Osborne Association’s FamilyWorks program). There are also a number of positive youth development programs and child welfare approaches (such as one-on-one mentoring for high-risk youth, and family group conferencing and wraparound services for families in crisis) that appear to hold some promise for prisoners and their families. Finally, several programs have demonstrated significant success in partnering with the faith-based community to provide support to prisoners and their families. Each of these programs and approaches could serve as a partial model for organizations seeking to implement family-centered reentry programs. In addition, the existing body of research strongly supports several basic practices that could be used to guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive, long-term support program for families affected by incarceration. For example, there is significant evaluation research to support the use of cognitive behavioral therapy to address families’ social and emotional dysfunction, and there is a strong expert consensus for involving the families of prisoners in pre-release planning. To incorporate the broad and diverse range of research that speaks to families affected by incarceration, the remainder of this literature review is organized into three sections: A brief review of the service needs of families affected by incarceration A review of the most widely agreed upon research-based “practices” related to families affected by incarceration An inventory of specific evidence-based programs, service models, and curricula that have been used to provide supportive services to incarcerated parents, their children, and their children’s caregivers This organizational structure is intended to offer an accessible, practice-focused overview of both specific programming options and broad practices and principles that are relevant to supporting families affected by incarceration. An extensive bibliography and resource list are included at the end of this report. Details: St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2008. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.wilder.org/download.0.html?report=2180 Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.wilder.org/download.0.html?report=2180 Shelf Number: 123191 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Cooper, Thalia Title: Bridge Builders for Kids: A Follow-up Study of Mentors and Mentees Summary: Bridge Builders for Kids is a Christian organization that offers a year-round mentoring program for children who have parents in prison. This program serves the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minnesota. The primary purpose of this one-on-one mentoring program is to support boys and girls, ages 5 to 18, by matching them with a Christian adult to engage them in relationship-building activities, and offer them ongoing support until the age of 18. The founders of Bridge Builders based their programming on the PAN Theory - Positive Adult Nurturing. They recognized, based on research and observation, that exposure to violence at young ages (0 to 10) increases the likelihood that young people will act out violently as adults. They discovered that too little positive one-on-one parental nurturing as well as personal trauma are among the most significant contributing environmental factors. Through a faith-based network of caring, supportive mentors, Bridge Builders for Kids aims to break the cycle of violence and incarceration for children of prisoners. Bridge Builders for Kids contracted with Wilder Research to design and carry out an evaluation plan designed to assess the value and impact of the program. The plan included having mentees complete a telephone survey administered by Bridge Builders for Kids volunteers (not their mentors) during which youth were asked to describe their experiences with the mentoring program and how their lives may have been affected by the activities and relationships that were developed. Mentors were interviewed by telephone by professional survey interviewers at Wilder Research. The study shows that while there are some challenges in developing and maintaining a long-term relationship with a child of an incarcerated offender, there are clearly important benefits that can accrue to a child in such a relationship. Results of the mentee survey show that mentors have been successful in creating relationships which feel safe to the child and where the child feels understood. In addition, mentors report that their mentees show more interest in school over time, more hopefulness about the future and an improved ability to appreciate new experiences. The majority of mentors were highly satisfied with their experience and only a few reported specific difficulties with issues like scheduling time with mentees (13%) or establishing boundaries (13%). Mentees also expressed high satisfaction with their relationships with mentors and the vast majority(91%) say that their mentor makes them feel important. Taken together these results indicate that Bridge Builders is having a valuable and positive effect in the lives of young people whose parents are incarcerated. Moreover it appears that the processes that are being used to identify both mentors and mentees has been successful in helping to identify positive role models for youth and in identifying young people whose lives can benefit from such relationships. Details: St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2009. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.wilder.org/download.0.html?report=2147 Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.wilder.org/download.0.html?report=2147 Shelf Number: 123192 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesMentoring |
Author: Fuger, Kathryn L. Title: Strengthening Families and Fatherhood: Children of Fathers in the Criminal Justice System Project. Final Evaluation Report, July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2008 Summary: Strengthening Families and Fatherhood: Children of Fathers in the Criminal Justice System, otherwise known as Fathers for Life – A Head Start Father Involvement Model, developed as an Innovation and Improvement Project (IIP), funded through the Office of Head Start. Fathers for Life – A Head Start Father Involvement Model (referred to in this document as Fathers for Life) addressed the priority area of Strengthening Families/Fatherhood of the President’s Head Start initiatives. Office of Head Start first awarded Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division (FSD) funding to develop a sound logic model and theory of change during a 9-month Planning Phase. During the 3-year Implementation Phase that followed, the logic model continued to develop as the project entered early stages of implementation. This report summarizes the project model and describes the results of these efforts in the state of Missouri, in the local communities in which it was instituted, and in the lives of the fathers who participated. Some concluding comments summarize the initiative, pose additional questions, and give suggestions for next steps. Five sections comprise the body of this report. These sections present the following information: • The first section of this report provides a history of this work and describes the Fathers for Life logic model and theory of change in more detail. It describes the intended outcomes systemically at the state level, programmatically at the community level, and in practice at the level of fathers’ outcomes related to parenting their children. • The second section presents the evaluation findings of the Fathers for Life work at the state level that aimed for systemic change. Processes and outcomes related to these areas are discussed: project administration, State Steering Committee leadership, curriculum and product development, statewide dissemination of information, and capacity building through training and technical assistance. A profile of the Missouri Fathers for Life initiative describes this systemic work at the state level. • The evaluation findings associated with programmatic development of Fathers for Life at the local level are presented in the third section. The data describe both activities and outcomes regarding the following: Head Start leadership, development of local stakeholder teams, and training of local staff. Profiles of the first five Missouri communities to implement the model are presented. • In the fourth section the evaluation findings document the engagement of fathers in Fathers for Life through their involvement with a service coordinator and their access to interventions. The section features profiles of the fathers that participated and a summary of the outcomes that they achieved. • Finally, a discussion in the fifth section of the report reflects on both the successes and the challenges of the Fathers for Life initiative. Replication and sustainability are discussed, and other suggestions are made concerning possible next steps. Details: Kansas City, MO: University of Missouri - Kansas City, Institute for Human Development, 2008. 135p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.fatherhood.org/Document.Doc?id=50 Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.fatherhood.org/Document.Doc?id=50 Shelf Number: 123196 Keywords: Children of PrisonersEarly Childhood EducationFamilies of InmatesFathersHead StartParenting |
Author: Rutgers University-Newark Economic Development Research Group, School of Public Affairs and Administration Title: Assessing the Impact of InsideOut Dad™ on Newark Community Education Centers (CEC) Residential Reentry Center Residents Summary: This report presents a multi-method evaluation of the InsideOut Dad™ program in three Community Education Centers (CEC) Residential Reentry Centers in New Jersey. The current evaluation includes both quantitative and qualitative data in the form of participant surveys, institutional data collection, participant interviews, and stakeholder interviews. These methods are used to determine if the program has had an impact across a series of outcome measures. In March of 2010, National Fatherhood Initiative agreed to an evaluation framework for Inside Out Dad™ with Rutgers University’s Economic Development Research Group (EDRG). Specifically, the objective of the research project was stated as an effort to evaluate the program’s effectiveness and assess the potential for further expansion. The program was initially implemented at each of the three facilities by the summer of 2010. During the evaluation period, a total of 307 participants graduated from the program, completing both pre- and post-test surveys. The evaluation period ended in June of 2011 although post-program data was collected on participants through August of 2011. National Fatherhood Initiative’s (NFI) InsideOut Dad™ program was implemented at three sites in Newark, New Jersey: Delaney Hall, the Harbor, and Tully House. Delaney Hall, opened in 2000, houses a capacity of 1,196 adult male offenders from both Essex County and New Jersey State Parole Board populations. The site operates programs including “substance abuse treatment, life skills training, individual and group counseling, relapse prevention, anger management, and educational and GED services” (Community Education Centers). The facility also operates a well-staffed Family Services program. Delaney Hall is the largest of the CEC sites in New Jersey. Delaney Hall graduated 101 participants from the InsideOut Dad™ program for this evaluation. The Harbor, opened in 2000 with a capacity of 234, contracts residents from the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Originally located in Hoboken, the facility was moved to Newark in 2009 at a site adjacent to Tully House. The Harbor offers “GED preparation, adult basic education, life skills, anger management, relapse prevention, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, twelve step education, family groups and job skills” (Community Education Centers). The Harbor graduated 89 participants from the InsideOut Dad™ program. Tully House, opened in 1998, contracts residents from the New Jersey Department of Corrections. The site has a capacity of 315 residents. At the facility a variety of services are offered including “work release, vocational, educational, and college educational referral enrollment” (Community Education Centers). Tully House also focuses on “domestic violence, anger management, relapse prevention, parenting skills and criminality groups” (Community Education Centers). An active Family Service Program is also operated at the facility. Tully House graduated 117 participants from the InsideOut Dad™ program. This report is presented in several sections. The remainder of this section provides a concise review of the research on the effects of parental incarceration and programs for fathers in prisons. The second section contains a brief summary of the components to the InsideOut Dad™ program and discusses two previous evaluations of the program conducted in Maryland and Ohio. The third section rephrases the purpose of the current evaluation. The fourth section details the methodology utilized within this evaluation. Data collection and analysis procedures are described in detail. In the fifth section, the quantitative results are presented and analyzed from survey and institutional data. The sixth section introduces the qualitative results of the study from interviews with participants and stakeholders. The seventh section describes the most important limitations associated with the study. The eighth section offers a conclusion that reiterates the main findings and implications of the current evaluation. The final section provides recommendations from the study. Details: Newark, NJ: Rutgers University-Newark Economic Development Research Group, School of Public Affairs and Administration, 2011. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2011 at: http://www.fatherhood.org/Document.Doc?id=296 Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.fatherhood.org/Document.Doc?id=296 Shelf Number: 123197 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFathersPrisoner Reentry (Newark, NJ)Treatment Programs, Male Offenders |
Author: Kingi, Venezia Title: Mothers with Babies in Prison: Some Women Prisoners' Perspectives Summary: The Department of Corrections Policy, Strategy and Research Group commissioned researchers at the Crime and Justice Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington to obtain the perspectives of some women prisoners about topics related to proposed legislation to extend the length of time to 24 months that mothers can care for their babies in prison. The specific objectives of the research were: • to ascertain female prisoners’ family structures and child care arrangements prior to imprisonment; • to ascertain child care arrangements made while in prison, how stable they are and how comfortable mothers are with them; • to understand mothers’ views on the appropriateness and desirability of having their children with them in prison, and whether they would apply for such access; • to identify the education, parenting and rehabilitation needs of female prisoners; • to ascertain female prisoners’ willingness and motivation to enter into parenting agreements, including the obligation to participate in parenting education; • to ascertain female prisoners’ willingness to relocate to a prison that has mothers with babies facilities; and • to ascertain the re-integration support needs of female prisoners with children when they leave prison. The research used a survey of 258 women prisoners and in-depth interviews with 10 women prisoners during May-June 2008 to obtain information relating to the research objectives. The overall findings indicate that nearly six in ten women prisoners surveyed support the proposal to extend the length of time that mothers can care for their babies in prison and half of those with dependent children would take up the option. All of the 258 women prisoners surveyed were asked whether they thought it was a good idea for mothers to be able to have children aged less than 24 months live with them in prison. Nearly six out of ten (59%) agreed it was a good idea, 32 percent did not, and nine percent responded that they did not know. Those who were most likely to agree were: • women prisoners aged 15-19 years (84%). This was true for both Māori and Non-Māori women prisoners aged 15-19 years (81% and 100% (or three out of three) respectively); • Asian women prisoners (100% or five out of five); • women prisoners with a dependent child aged two years or younger (64%); • women prisoners who had previously been in prison (65%); and • women prisoners who thought it was neither important nor unimportant that the prison in which they were incarcerated was near to their family/whānau (75%). Women prisoners who had been the main caregiver prior to coming into prison were slightly less likely to think it was a good idea (54%). Seventy seven percent of those opposing an extension to the current policy simply reasoned that ‘Children should not be brought up in prison.’ The next most common reason given by 60 percent of these women for being opposed to a possible change of policy was that ‘It would be too painful for mothers serving long sentences to have to give up their children when they got too old to be in the unit.’ Thirdly, 43 percent of these women were of the opinion that ‘Children should be with their family/whānau if their mothers are in prison.’ All the women interviewed in-depth supported the concept of mothers being able to care for their babies in prison. However, their opinions were divided about the upper age limit of the child. These women thought that the quality of the care that could be provided by a mother to her baby in prison needed to be balanced against the difficulty of separating from the baby (if the length of the prison sentence made that necessary) and the quality of the care that baby could receive on the outside. The advantages of an extension of the upper age limit to 24 months articulated by these women interviewed in-depth were variations around the theme of enabling more unbroken mother/baby bonding and breast feeding time. For mothers serving shorter prison sentences an extension of the current policy increased the chances of them being able to provide uninterrupted care for their babies. The views of Māori women prisoners surveyed on the desirability and implementation of this policy were similar to women prisoners as a whole. Nearly half (49%) of women prisoners with dependent children would apply to have a child under 24 months live with them in prison. The percentage increased slightly to 54% for women prisoners with a child aged two years or younger at the time of the survey. Māori women prisoners were also slightly more likely to hold this view (52%). The women (including Māori women) were slightly more likely to choose having their children live with them in a Mothers and Babies Unit regardless of whether that unit was close to their family/whānau. Most commonly women would be willing to undertake parenting programmes (77%). child development education (72%) or relationship skills (71%) programmes if these were made a condition of having a child live with them in prison. Overall, over nine in ten all the women prisoners thought that they would benefit from taking part in programmes while in prison. Those programmes most often mentioned were budgeting, drug and alcohol, relationship skills, parenting, child development education, anger management and family violence prevention programmes. Women’s views about the reintegration of mothers into the community on their release indicated that most mothers need support with housing (81%) parenting (77%), employment (73%) and childcare (69%). In extending the proposed policy to 24 months, the following factors may need to be taken into account: • the difficulty of separation from an older child; • the suitability of the prison environment generally; • ongoing financial considerations for women and their families; • safety of the prison environment for toddlers; • access to health care for babies/toddlers at all times, including during the night; • access to child care facilities to support the educational, social and physical development of these children; and • the establishment of dedicated facilities for mothers and babies/toddlers. Details: Wellington, NZ: Crime and Justice Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, 2008. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2012 at: www.corrections.govt.nz Year: 2008 Country: New Zealand URL: Shelf Number: 123597 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale Inmates (New Zealand) |
Author: Smith, Linda G. Title: National Fatherhood Initiative Summary: The social, economic, and emotional impacts of parents who are incarcerated are clearly suffered by the children of these parents. The National Institute of Corrections noted that, “Parental arrest and confinement lead to stress, trauma, stigmatization, and separation problems for the children. These problems are coupled with existing troubles that include poverty, violence, parental substance abuse, high crime environments, intra-family abuse, abuse and neglect, multiple care givers, or prior separations. As a result, these children often exhibit a broad variety of behavioral, emotional, health, and educational problems that are compounded by the pain of separation” (LIS, Inc. for NIC, 2002, p.1). In addition, children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely than other children to be incarcerated at some point in their lives (Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, Senate Report 106-404, 2001). These parents also feel the strain of separation from their families. There are many benefits to keeping the families intact even though a parent is incarcerated. Less strain and stress for both children and parents have been noted, and parents who are incarcerated can still be involved in their children’s lives in a positive way. Parental contact can build supportive and healthy relationships that help both the parents and children especially upon the offender’s reentry back into the community. How widespread is the problem of incarcerated parents with minor children? In the most recent national survey of incarcerated parents conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and released as a Special Report: Incarcerated Parents and Their Children (Mumola, 2000), parents held in U. S. prisons had an estimated 1,498,800 minor children in 1999. Between 1991 and 1999, which represents an eight year span, an increase of over 500,000 minors with parents in prison occurred. With the prison population continuing to increase (Harrison and Beck, 2006) and another eight year span approaching since the BJS survey on incarcerated parents, we can only surmise that we have at least another 500,000 children to add to the statistics cited from the 1999 survey bringing the estimated total to 2,000,000 minor children with parents in prison. The Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents estimates there are 2.8 million minor children with incarcerated parents in prisons and jails (2006). Not much is being done in the prisons to address this widespread problem. Although more than half of the state prisoners and close to two-thirds of federal prisoners had at least one minor child, a majority of both fathers and mothers reported never having a personal visit with their children since admission (Mumola, 2000, p.5). Almost three-fourths of the fathers (and more than 50% of the mothers) were serving sentences of more than five years (Ibid. p.6). This means that many of these minor children will lose contact with their incarcerated parent for long periods of time and in some cases permanently. Many states have inadequate resources for programs that provide services to families. Moreover, the limited programs currently found in prisons that address family reunification or parenting are more likely found in prisons for women rather than for men (LIS, Inc. for NIC, 2002, p.6). While these programs are essential for both parents, they are especially lacking for fathers in prison. National Fatherhood Initiative® (NFI) designed the InsideOut Dad™ Program to address the specific needs of incarcerated fathers by bridging the gap between the inmate father and his children (NFI, 2005). Details: Germantown, Maryland: National Fatherhood Initiative, 2008. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 4, 2012 at http://www.fatherhood.org/document.doc?id=60 Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.fatherhood.org/document.doc?id=60 Shelf Number: 123964 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFathers |
Author: Mason-White, Holly Title: Children of (Alleged) Offenders: Revised Draft Framework for Decision-Making Summary: Around the world, children are affected when a parent goes into prison. Their relationships can change and come under strain, both with the incarcerated parent and with others. They can experience the stigma and shame of being associated with a prisoner. They may have to change their home, school and friends because of parental imprisonment. They may become poorer, with the family having less income and more prison-related costs. Their education may suffer and long-term prospects be at risk. And their attitudes towards the criminal justice system may be permanently affected by having a parent taken away. Children of incarcerated parents, like children in general, are all individuals. Each will have a different experience of and response to parental imprisonment, and the unique situation of each child should be considered in all interactions with them and decisions that affect them. However, they should in all cases be considered and their rights upheld, in particular their right not to be discriminated against because of the actions of their parent, their right to be consulted and heard in decisions affecting them, and their right to have their best interests be a primary consideration in all matters that affect them. This revised draft Framework is a comprehensive exploration of the relevant child rights issues throughout the criminal justice process, from a parent’s arrest or detention to release following imprisonment. Rather than trying to provide detailed answers to every issue raised, we hope to alert criminal justice and other professionals to the issues so that they can develop their own context-specific solutions. To aid this, we have included examples of potential good practice throughout, as well as relevant international and regional standards in the annexe. Details: Geneva: Quaker United Nations Office, 2012. 99p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2012 at: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/201203draft_framework_col.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/201203draft_framework_col.pdf Shelf Number: 124771 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Kearney, Helen F. Title: Children of Parents Sentenced to Death Summary: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child devoted its 2011 Day of General Discussion to ‘Children of Incarcerated Parents’. These children have committed no crime. Yet – as hundreds of participants who work with these children around the world came to testify – they are directly and powerfully impacted by their parent’s involvement with the criminal justice system. Over the course of the day, it became apparent that several issues within this neglected field require further consideration. One such issue was the differentiated impact of different crimes and sentences. Amnesty International prepared a written submission to raise awareness of the impact of a parent’s death sentence on children. It focussed on situations that occur in violation of existing international standards on the use of capital punishment, namely secrecy surrounding detention on death row and execution. However, whether or not a parent’s death sentence has been lawfully applied, their children are affected. Quakers oppose capital punishment in all circumstances, but this paper focuses on the children of parents sentenced to death. It begins to explore the diverse and multi-faceted impacts of the death sentence on the children of the accused. Details: Geneva: Quaker United Nations Office, 2012. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2012 at: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/ChildrenOfParentsSentencedToDeath.pdf Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/ChildrenOfParentsSentencedToDeath.pdf Shelf Number: 124775 Keywords: Capital PunishmentChildren of PrisonersDeath PenaltyFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Hutton, Linda Title: Circle's Families Affected by Imprisonment Project: Throughcare for Female Offenders Summary: SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS The profile of those 59 clients who have worked with Circle during the first 3 years of the Families Affected by Imprisonment (‘FABI’) project confirms that these women have multiple needs and complex histories. Their profile is as follows: Aged between 17 and 46 at first contact; Have between 1 and 7 children, predominantly cared for by grandparents; Almost one-quarter (24%) self-refer to the service; Most have multiple needs: 62% have drug misuse issues; 27% alcohol misuse issues; 54% mental health issues; and over half have experienced physical abuse; The approximate age at which offending careers had begun ranged from 10 to 39 years, with the highest proportions having their first offence recorded at age 15 or less (38%) or 16 to 21 years (33%); Offending ‘careers’ prior to contact with Circle ranged from 2 to 26 years, with 57% having offending careers of ten years or more; The highest proportion (43%) are serving their first custodial sentence, with the remainder serving between their 2nd and 7th custodial sentences; First custodial sentences had been received between the ages of 17 and 44, with 32% receiving their first custodial sentence at age 31 or older; Those who had received prior custodial sentences had received total terms of between 1 and 41 months over all such sentences; For the sentence being served at the time of first contact with Circle, clients had received sentences of between 2 and 48 months; The most common offending profile is one of violent offences (34%), followed by crimes of dishonesty (22%); One-third of clients (34%) received no visitors while in custody; over half (56%) received no visits from their children. In spite of this profile, outcomes for those working with the FABI project are incredibly positive, with 79% of those released from custody having received no further custodial sentences. To summarise: Of the 52 clients released from custody, 79% have received no further custodial sentences; Effective engagement was achieved with 85% of clients after their release from custody; Of the 33 clients with custodial sentences prior to that which brought them into contact with Circle, 58% received no further custodial sentences; Of the 25 clients with no prior custodial sentences, only 1 received a further custodial sentence; ii With regard to further custodial sentences, a decrease in longer sentences (over 12 months) and an increase in shorter sentences (12 months or less) was evident in comparing pre- and post-service figures; A decrease between pre- and post-service figures with regard to number of custodial sentences was also evident; Those who engaged with Circle appeared much more likely to receive no further custodial sentences (81%) than those who did not engage (56%). Those who self-referred to the service were marginally less likely to receive further custodial sentences (8%) than those who did not (27%). With regard to client interviews, findings from these support the positive outcomes shown in the quantitative data. For example: All 42 clients interviewed would recommend Circle to others; Clients reported having been supported to make positive changes with regard to drug and alcohol misuse; Clients were also supported to resolve issues related to housing and debt; The ability of the Circle workers to help maintain and improve family relationships was highly valued by clients, as was the provision of practical support; The provision of emotional and practical support during the transition from custody to community was important to clients; Clients identified that the ability of Circle to be both gatekeeper and advocate in relation to other services was that which sets Circle apart from other agencies; In relation to their children, clients often felt deprived of information in their regard and treated with little respect by statutory services; The provision of timely and accurate information to clients was considered important, and the of Circle workers in facilitating this was greatly appreciated. Details: Glasgow: The Robertson Trust, 2011. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 11, 2012 at: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/ Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/ Shelf Number: 125539 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners (Scotland) |
Author: Hutton, Linda Title: Evaluation of the Pilot Aberlour Mother and Baby Project at HMP Cornton Vale: 10-Month Report Summary: This report covers evaluation findings from the first 10 months of the 1-year pilot Aberlour Mother and Baby Project being operated at HMP and YOI Cornton Vale, from January 2011 to November 2011. The Project was established to assist those prisoners in the Mother and Baby Unit to develop or enhance the skills required to adequately parent with children, although this had now been extended to include women with other children. Details: Glasgow: The Robertson Trust, 2012. 40. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 24, 2012 at: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/files/5113/4096/6339/Aberlour%20Mother%20and%20Baby%20Project%2010%20Month%20Report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.therobertsontrust.org.uk/files/5113/4096/6339/Aberlour%20Mother%20and%20Baby%20Project%2010%20Month%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 125762 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (Scotland)Parenting Skills |
Author: Albertson, Katherine Title: Tackling Health Inequalities Through Developing Evidence-based Policy and Practice with Childbearing Women in Prison: A Consultation Summary: The overall aim of this consultation was to scope and map the health needs and health care of childbearing women in prison, using the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a case study. In order to approach this we designed consultation exercises to: • Critically examine how prisons interact with health care agencies to meet the needs of childbearing women both inside and outside prison • Obtain the views of key stakeholders around improving practice and tackling barriers to equity of health care for childbearing women in prison • Identify existing good practice in this area • Produce an evidence base to inform future policy development and practice in this area • Use this local pilot work to inform the development of future research in this field This report contains key findings based on consultation data from the following sources: • A brief scoping review • Two Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) practitioner focus groups • Five MBU Manager interviews • Three activities undertaken by a web-based expert panel • A multidisciplinary final event Details: Sheffield, UK: The Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University; York, UK: The Mother and Infant Research Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, 2012. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 125937 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Robertson, Oliver Title: Collateral Convicts: Children of incarcerated parents Summary: Children of Incarcerated Parents’ was the topic for the 2011 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Day of General Discussion (DGD), held in Geneva on Friday 31st September of that year. This was the first time that any part of the UN system had looked in detail at the issue of children affected by parental involvement in the criminal justice system, and it attracted unprecedented interest and engagement. Fifty-one written submissions from thirty-nine sources were made, while over 200 people took part in the discussion on the Day itself. An exhibition of children’s experiences and good practice (also named ‘Collateral Convicts’) accompanied the DGD, while workshops took place before and after the Day to explore the issues in more depth. This paper draws on all these sources, plus other important and relevant resources. Children of incarcerated parents, like children in general, are all individuals. Each will have a different experience of and response to parental imprisonment, and the unique situation of each child should be considered in all interactions with them and decisions that affect them. But regardless of individual circumstances, each child also has rights, including the right not to be discriminated against based on the status or activities of their parents (Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 2(2)), to the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting them (Article 12(2)) and the right to have their best interests be a primary consideration in all actions concerning them (Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 3(1)). Unfortunately, children of incarcerated parents are too easily ignored in the criminal justice system, which deals with identifying and responding to individual guilt or innocence. Children interacting with the criminal justice system (for example when visiting incarcerated parents) are ‘reduced to a security risk assessment, [while] within the broader community they are silent and silenced’. Only rarely do ministries responsible for children see them as a group of children exposed to particular challenges, meaning children of incarcerated parents often fall into the gaps between government agencies. Children of incarcerated parents exist in developing and developed countries all around the world, with certain experiences and features common to many such children. For many, the removal and detention of a parent is a negative experience, with implications for their future wellbeing. The risks associated with parental incarceration have been categorised into five main areas: 1. Risk of deprivation of basic necessities and opportunities; 2. Risk of danger of secondary victimisation and depersonalisation; 3. Risk of deterioration of overall situation of a child; 4. Risk of distance from incarcerated parent; and, 5. Risk of descent into antisocial behaviour More specifically, children may experience impacts including: physical and mental health impacts related to separation and other aspects of parental incarceration; a risk of relationship breakdown; the possibility of having to move house or be taken into care; financial difficulties; problems at school (educational and behavioural); increased vulnerability to neglect, abuse and victimisation; and difficulties in visiting incarcerated parents. ‘Finally it increases the risk of a child’s own prospects, as they fear or distrust authority, fail to receive the help they need, live in impoverished and unstable circumstances, and begin to accept prison as “normal” – or as the only place they can be with their mum or dad. Some of these problems will depend on factors such as the nature of the offence and sentence, the age and maturity of the child or which parent is imprisoned (children with incarcerated fathers are more likely to have another parent care for them than is the case when mothers are imprisoned). But as a group, children of incarcerated parents have faced all the issues detailed above and more, and would benefit from considered and timely interventions. As shown at the DGD, there are many examples of good practice from around the world, often small and inexpensive changes that make a major difference to the lives of children. Many are detailed below. Unfor tunately, these steps too often depend on the interest and involvement of individual prison staff or charities/non-governmental organisations (NGOs), rather than institutionalised good policy and practice. By sharing these examples and encouraging their use, we hope to increase the range, quality and consistency of support for children of incarcerated parents. Details: Geneva: Quaker United Nations Office, 2011. 84p. Source: Human Rights & Refugees Publications: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2012 at http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/201203Analytical-DGD-Report-internet.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/201203Analytical-DGD-Report-internet.pdf Shelf Number: 126340 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of Prisoners |
Author: Myslajek, Crystal Title: Racial Disparity of Child Poverty in Minnesota: The Hidden Consequence of Incarceration Summary: Relative to the rest of the United States, Minnesota incarcerates only a small percentage of its population. In fact, Minnesota has the second lowest imprisonment rate1 of all the states. Yet disaggregating the imprisonment rate by race reveals the troublesome fact that African American Minnesotans are in prison at a rate twelve times the rate of whites. Mounting evidence suggests that rather than disrupting a person’s criminal career, incarceration detrimentally impacts a person’s future transitions into conventional domains of life such as employment, education, and family. More immediately, incarceration disrupts not only criminal behavior but other activities as well, such as employment and parenting. As a result, parents who are either in prison or have an incarceration record may have a decreased ability to financially support their children. Thus, it follows that children whose parents are incarcerated are more likely to face poverty. Given this logic, it is not surprising that in addition to the high rate of incarceration for African American adults relative to white adults, a greater percentage of African American children in Minnesota live in poverty than do white, non-Hispanic children. In fact, both the black-white ratios of incarceration rates (12:1) and child poverty rates (6:1)2 are above the national averages (7:1 and 3:1) (Western 2008; U.S Census Bureau 2009). I argue that incarceration has an often overlooked but critical effect on the racial disparity of child poverty in Minnesota. This effect emerges as a result of incarceration’s disruption to educational attainment, employment, and family dynamics. Furthermore, bans on federal benefits for felony-drug offenders may function to exacerbate incarceration’s impact on child poverty. To provide context, this work examines some of the policies contributing to the black-white disparity of incarceration in Minnesota. Details: Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2009. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 1, 2012 at: http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/50655/1/Myslajek,%20Crystal.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/50655/1/Myslajek,%20Crystal.pdf Shelf Number: 126527 Keywords: Childhood Poverty (Minnesota)Children of PrisonersFamilies of PrisonersRacial Disparities |
Author: Porter, Lauren Title: Reconsidering the Relationship between Paternal Incarceration and Delinquency Summary: Research finds that children who have experienced the incarceration of a parent exhibit higher levels of antisocial behavior. Yet there are reasons to question whether this association is in fact causal, and research that empirically pins down mechanisms that explain any observed association is in high demand. We attempt to better account for unobserved heterogeneity by using children with fathers who will be incarcerated as a strategic comparison group. In addition, we look at two different outcomes in an effort to make inferences about why paternal incarceration may influence delinquency. Results suggest that the association between paternal incarceration and instrumental forms of crime (e.g., theft) is entirely spurious, although paternal incarceration retains a significant effect on expressive crimes (e.g., destruction of property, fighting). Details: Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research, Bowling Green State University, 2012. 38p. Source: Working Paper Series WP-12-08: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://ncfmr.bgsu.edu/pdf/working_papers/file118357.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://ncfmr.bgsu.edu/pdf/working_papers/file118357.pdf Shelf Number: 126573 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFathersJuvenile Delinquency |
Author: Meyers, H. Title: Lamoille Community Justice Project Program Evaluation Summary: This is a report of evaluation activities conducted by the Vermont Research Partnership (VRP) at the University of Vermont’s James M. Jeffords Center for the Lamoille Valley Community Justice Project (CJP) during fall 2009 through summer 2010. Following a description of the CJP program is reporting of three components utilized in this mixed-method evaluation study: 1) a brief review of literature sources that inform practices for working with children of incarcerated parents; 2) interviews with CJP staff (three caseworkers) and leadership (CJP Co-Director and Manager); 3) interviews with school personnel who work with children served by CJP; and 4) quantitative analysis of outcomes for children in relation to school retention and avoidance of contact with the criminal justice system. Details: Burlington, VT: Vermont Research Partnership, University of Vermont, 2010. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 14, 2012 at http://www.uvm.edu/~jeffords/reports/pdfs/%20Lamoille%20CJP%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.uvm.edu/~jeffords/reports/pdfs/%20Lamoille%20CJP%20Evaluation%20Report.pdf Shelf Number: 126705 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCommunity Justice (Vermont)Community-Based ProgramsDelinquency PreventionEvaluative Studies |
Author: Atella, Julie Title: Mentoring Children of Promise: Interim Evaluation Findings Summary: In 2007, there were more than 1.7 million children with a mother or father in jail or prison. More than 7 million children—approximately one tenth of the nation’s young people—had a parent under supervision by the criminal justice system. When parents are incarcerated, their arrest and imprisonment often have a profound, negative impact on their minor children. Generally impoverished to begin with, most children of prisoners become even poorer upon their parents’ arrest. They exhibit high rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and attention disorders. They are also at increased risk of homelessness, household disruption, school failure and delinquency. Numerous studies have shown that mentoring programs can have significant benefits for at-risk youth like children of prisoners. Mentoring increases the likelihood of regular school attendance and academic achievement. It also decreases the chances of engaging in self-destructive or violent behavior. A trusting relationship with a caring adult can often provide stability and have a profound life-changing effect on the child. Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans Mentoring Children of Promise (MCP) program has been providing mentoring services to children of incarcerated parents since 2004. The goal of this program is to create the right conditions for children of prisoners to reach their full potential. In 2010, Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans was awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a multi-year process evaluation of this program. VOA has contracted with Wilder Research to document the program’s service model and identify implementation factors that are most critical to the program’s success. Details: Saint Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2011. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2012 at http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise,%20Interim%20Evaluation%20Findings.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise/Mentoring%20Children%20of%20Promise,%20Interim%20Evaluation%20Findings.pdf Shelf Number: 126865 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild WelfareChildren of InmatesChildren of PrisonersMentoring |
Author: Phillips, Susan D. Title: Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated: In Whose Best Interest? Summary: Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated: In Whose Best Interest? addresses the question of whether video visitation may also provide benefits for children who are separated from their parents by incarceration. Our conclusion is that it depends on the particular policies and practices of a given institution. Video visitation holds the most potential for benefiting children if: it is used as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, other modes of communication, particularly contact visits; children can visit from their homes or nearby sites; facility policies allow for frequent visits; and fees are not cost prohibitive. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2012. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2012 at http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_Video_Visitation_White_Paper.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_Video_Visitation_White_Paper.pdf Shelf Number: 127104 Keywords: Children of PrisonersParentsPrison VisitsVideoconferencing |
Author: Martyn, Michelle Title: “Picking up the Pieces”: The Rights and Needs of Children and Families Affected by Imprisonment Summary: In this report the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) highlights the rights and needs of children and families affected by imprisonment in Ireland. Children and families coping with imprisonment are often described as the ‘hidden’ victims of the penal system because they must endure their own sentence, despite not having perpetrated any crime. While many issues that children and families of prisoners experience are universal, IPRT examines the current challenges that are specific to the Irish situation. IPRT investigates these within the framework of the rights of the child and the rights of the family where Ireland has ratified, and is legally obliged to comply with, the European Convention on Human Rights 1950 (ECHR) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (UN CRC). The key issues are illustrated in the text through interviews with children and family members, whose voices are often left unheard. Finally, IPRT puts forth our recommendations for change. Details: Dublin: Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2012. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 23, 2013 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Children_of_Imprisoned_Parents2.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Children_of_Imprisoned_Parents2.pdf Shelf Number: 127353 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (Ireland) |
Author: Phillips, Susan D. Title: Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated: In Whose Best Interest? Summary: Video Visits for Children Whose Parents Are Incarcerated: In Whose Best Interest? addresses the question of whether video visitation may also provide benefits for children who are separated from their parents by incarceration. Our conclusion is that it depends on the particular policies and practices of a given institution. Video visitation holds the most potential for benefiting children if: •It is used as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, other modes of communication, particularly contact visits; •Children can visit from their homes or nearby sites; •Facility policies allow for frequent visits; and •Fees are not cost prohibitive. Details: Washington, DC: The Sentencing Project, 2012. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 24, 2013 at: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_Video_Visitation_White_Paper.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/cc_Video_Visitation_White_Paper.pdf Shelf Number: 127390 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesVisitation |
Author: Jones, Jerrett Title: Examining the Relationship between Paternal Incarceration, Maternal Stress, and Harsh Parenting Behaviors Summary: In response to rise of incarceration, there is a burgeoning literature examining the consequences of incarceration on families. Research has suggested that incarceration negatively impacts the well-being of partners connected to men with an incarceration history. However, research examining the effects of imprisonment on partners of former offenders remains underdeveloped. This area of research has yet to adequately address the methodological challenges associated with selection bias. This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N= 2,819) to examine the effect of paternal incarceration on maternal stress and harsh parenting behaviors. Using multiple methods and accounting for a rich set of covariates associated with incarceration, results run counter to existing literature. More specifically, after accounting for selection processes, the results suggest no relationship between paternal incarceration, maternal stress and harsh parenting behaviors. Research needs to address preexisting disadvantages that select partners to associating with criminal offenders. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2013. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: workingpapers/WP13-03-FF; Accessed February 7, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-03-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-03-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 127520 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (U.S.)Parenting |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: The Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Effects of Paternal Incarceration on Maternal Neglect and Harsh Parenting Summary: The American incarceration rate has dramatically swelled since the 1970s, especially among poorly educated minority men, effectively increasing the number of families affected by the penal system. Despite escalating attention to the consequences of incarceration for families, little research considers the possibility that paternal incarceration is consequential for parenting among mothers who share children with currently or recently incarcerated men. In this manuscript, I use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a data source uniquely situated to understand the collateral consequences of incarceration for family life, and a series of propensity score models to examine the homogeneous and heterogeneous effects of paternal incarceration on three aspects of maternal parenting: neglect, psychological aggression, and physical aggression. First, results show that paternal incarceration has modest, negative effects on mothers’ physical aggression toward children but that observed effects on neglect and psychological aggression result from formidable selection forces. Second, and importantly, results show that considering the homogeneous effects of paternal incarceration overlooks heterogeneous effects. For psychological aggression and physical aggression, paternal incarceration is detrimental for mothers with a high propensity for attachment to recently incarcerated fathers but beneficial or inconsequential for mothers with a low propensity for such attachment. Taken together, results indicate that the collateral consequences of incarceration for family life may be concentrated among the most disadvantaged and, thus, have implications for increasing inequality among families. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2013. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed February 7, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-02-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-02-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 127531 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (U.S.)Parenting |
Author: Cox, Robynn Title: The Impact of Incarceration on Food Insecurity among Households with Children Summary: This study seeks to determine the role that parental incarceration plays on the probability of food insecurity among families with children and very low food security of children using micro-level data from the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study (FFCWS). The data set contains the 18-question food security module which allows us to explore the link between incarceration and food insecurity and very low food security among children, families, and adults. The incidence of very low food security in our data is somewhat higher than the national average, but the incidence of other levels of food security is similar to national aggregates. Since there is likely reverse causality in the relationship between parental incarceration and food insecurity, we employ a variety of program evaluation techniques to identify the causal relationship between food insecurity and parental incarceration. We employ imputation techniques to account for non-response among the food security variables and independent variables. Our ordinary least squares results suggest that having at least one parent that has ever been incarcerated has a small positive effect (1 to 4 percentage points) on the probability of very low food security among children, adults and households with children, but the results are not significant in various specification. Food insecurity for adults and households with children (a less dire level of food insecurity than very low food security) is affected by parental incarceration under most specifications with magnitudes of impact from 4 to 15 percentage points. This research provides some evidence that incarceration adversely affects children and families in terms of food insecurity. Policies to mitigate the impact could be addressed through the court system whereby children are provided with court-sanctioned support to address food needs. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2013. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Fragile Families Working Paper: 13-05-FF: Accessed march 14, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-05-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-05-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 127933 Keywords: Children of PrisonersEconomics of CrimeFamilies of Inmates (U.S.) |
Author: Ishizuka, Katie Title: Fostering Change: How Investing In D.C.’s Child Welfare System Can Keep Kids Out of the Prison Pipeline Summary: Fostering Change: How Investing In D.C.’s Child Welfare System Can Keep Kids Out of the Prison Pipeline looks at the need for robust community investments to increase public safety and youth outcomes in areas such as Wards 5, 7 and 8, which are majority African American having also the highest rate of children living below the poverty line and in foster care. The District has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, which has direct and long-term implications on the city’s youth. Parental incarceration is now the third highest reason for child welfare system involvement in the District, following neglect and abuse. The community and family impacts of mass incarceration are disproportionately prevalent among African-American children and children of parents with low levels of educational attainment. Nationally, African-American children are three times more likely than Latino children and seven times more likely than white children to have a parent in prison and incarcerated parents tend to face significant barriers to retaining their parental rights. Fostering Change is the fourth and last in a series of research briefs that shows reducing harm to children in the home, strengthening families, and investing in systems that support children who are abused and neglected should be part of a comprehensive public safety strategy in the District. Details: Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute, 2013. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2013 at: http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/fostering_change.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/fostering_change.pdf Shelf Number: 128331 Keywords: Child Welfare SystemsChildren of PrisonersDelinquency PreventionFamilies of InmatesFoster Care (Washington, D.C.)Poverty |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: The Intergenerational Consequences of Mass Incarceration: Implications for Children’s Contact with Grandparents Summary: In response to the rapid growth in mass incarceration, a burgeoning literature documents the mostly deleterious consequences of mass incarceration for individuals and families. But mass incarceration, which has profoundly altered the American kinship system, may also have implications for relationships that span across generations. In this paper, I use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine how paternal incarceration has altered one important aspect of intergenerational relationships, children’s contact with grandparents. Results from both ordinary least squares (OLS) and fixed-effects regression models show that incarceration decreases the frequency of children’s contact with paternal, but not maternal, grandparents. More than one-quarter of this negative relationship is explained by separation between parents that occurs after paternal incarceration, highlighting the “kinkeeping” role of mothers. Additionally, consequences are concentrated among children living with both parents prior to paternal incarceration and among children of previously incarcerated fathers. Taken together, results provide some of the first evidence that the collateral consequences of incarceration may extend to intergenerational relationships. Details: Princeton, NJ: Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Princeton University, 2013. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper WP13-07-FF: Accessed May 23, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-07-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-07-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 128787 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: Redefining Relationships: Explaining the Countervailing Consequences of Paternal Incarceration for Parenting Summary: In response to dramatic increases in imprisonment, a burgeoning literature considers the consequences of incarceration for family life, almost always documenting negative consequences. But the effects of incarceration may be more complicated and nuanced and, in this paper, we consider the countervailing consequences of paternal incarceration for a host of family relationships, including fathers’ parenting, mothers’ parenting, and the relationship between parents. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and a rigorous research design, we find recent paternal incarceration sharply diminishes parenting behaviors among residential fathers but not among nonresidential fathers. Virtually all of the association between incarceration and parenting among residential fathers can be explained by changes in fathers’ relationships with their children’s mothers. The consequences for mothers’ parenting, however, are inconsistent and weak. Furthermore, our findings show recent paternal incarceration sharply increases the probability a mother will repartner, potentially offsetting some losses in the involvement of the biological father while simultaneously leading to greater family complexity. Taken together, the collateral consequences of paternal incarceration for family life are complex and countervailing. Details: Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, 2013. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed May 23, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP12-06-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP12-06-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 128788 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Brown, Christian Title: Beyond Bars: Estimating the Economic Consequences of Parental Incarceration Summary: Many people incarcerated in the United States are parents, and this may have negative effects on the social and educational development of their children. I evaluate this hypothesis empirically using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data to estimate the effects of parental incarceration on a child's level of education and adult wages. Models of incarceration's effects control for parent and child gender, age at incarceration, incarceration frequency, and pre-incarceration household residency. The incarceration of parents, particularly mothers, is associated with lower levels of higher education and earnings. Daughters of incarcerated mothers face higher educational penalties than sons; sons face higher wage penalties than daughters. Details: Murfreesboro, TN: Middle Tennessee State University, 2013. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed May 23, 2013 at: http://capone.mtsu.edu/ccb3g/ch1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://capone.mtsu.edu/ccb3g/ch1.pdf Shelf Number: 128789 Keywords: Children of PrisonersEducationEmploymentFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Robertson, Oliver Title: Lightening the Load of the Parental Death Penalty on Children Summary: One of the little-asked questions in debates over the death penalty is what happens to the children of the offender. The arrest, sentencing and (potential) execution of a parent affect children greatly, but they receive little consideration and less support. Some of the impacts on children of parents sentenced to death or executed are similar to those experienced by children of prisoners more generally. These include how they experience the arrest and trial of a parent, some of the issues around visiting a parent in prison, and considerations about what they are told and when. Even in these cases, children of parents sentenced to death may experience the issues at greater intensity or with additional aspects that other children of prisoners do not face. But there are also areas where the nature of the death penalty itself, and the procedures accompanying it, mean the experiences of these children are categorically different from those of their peers. These include dealing with the execution itself, and learning to continue living after the execution in the knowledge that a parent has been killed by the State. This paper begins by providing some basic information about children of parents sentenced to death, issues that persist through the whole of a parent’s interaction with the criminal justice system. Next, it looks at issues that are similar to those faced by other children of prisoners, but focuses on the ways in which children of parents sentenced to death are different. For a more detailed account of the situation of children of prisoners worldwide, including recommendations and examples of good practice, read QUNO’s 2012 paper Collateral Convicts. Thirdly, the fundamentally different issues are considered, those only children of parents sentenced to death experience. There are a limited number of recommendations included throughout: these are not intended to be comprehensive, instead only covering those areas where there is already clarity about a positive way forward. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Quaker United Nations Office, 2013. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 18, 2013 at: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/2013LighteningLoad-English.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.quno.org/geneva/pdf/humanrights/women-in-prison/2013LighteningLoad-English.pdf Shelf Number: 129015 Keywords: Capital PunishmentChildren of PrisonersDeath PenaltyFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Herman-Stahl, Mindy Title: Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families Summary: ▪ The number of individuals involved in the criminal justice system is at a historic high. There are almost 2.3 million individuals in U.S. jails and prisons and more than 798,000 people on parole. It is estimated that 7,476,500 children have a parent who is in prison, in jail or under correctional supervision. ▪ Minority children are disproportionately affected by father imprisonment: In state prisons, 42% of fathers are African American, and African American children are seven and a half times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children (6.7% vs. 0.9%). ▪ Only 23% of state prisoners are married, but many are involved in intimate or co-parenting relationships. ▪ Father incarceration negatively affects family life. Spouses/partners face serious financial strains, social isolation and stigma, loneliness, and negative emotions such as anger and resentment. ▪ Children of incarcerated fathers also may experience numerous life stressors, including caregiver changes, increased poverty, and involvement with the child welfare system, in addition to the pain of parental separation. These stressors have been linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, learning problems, and aggression. ▪ Fathers in prison face a host of problems that limit their ability to be successful at reentry including substance abuse, mental illness, low educational attainment, and poor employment histories. ▪ Most men plan to live with their families upon release, and those who report positive family and parenting relationships during reentry are less likely to recidivate. Family support services during incarceration and after release are an important strategy for increasing criminal desistance, yet family strengthening services are often a neglected aspect of rehabilitation. ▪ Marriage and relationship enhancement interventions in prison show promise in reducing negative interactions and in improving communication skills and relationship satisfaction. ▪ Findings from evaluations of parenting programs in prison also are encouraging: inmates involved in such programs indicate improved attitudes about the importance of fatherhood, increased parenting skills, and more frequent contact with their children. ▪ To be successful, family strengthening services for prisoners require coordination between criminal justice and human service agencies, which often have divergent goals and contrasting perspectives. Success is also tied to effective linkages between prisons and community partners. ▪ Obstacles to family strengthening efforts during incarceration and re-entry include distance between place of imprisonment and reentry community, difficulties in recruiting and retaining prisoners, inhospitable visiting rules, unsupportive extended family relations, and barriers to partner and child involvement such as transportation difficulties, busy schedules, and relationship strain. ▪ The evidence for marital partner education and parenting programs is just beginning to accumulate. This evidence is hampered by a lack of rigorous evaluation methods. Studies have rarely employed randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standard for program evaluation. Program assessments also have had limited follow-ups to assess the maintenance of behavioral change and frequently rely on non-standardized measures and self-reports to document change. ▪ Effective social policies are critical for reducing recidivism and decreasing the negative effects of incarceration on children and families. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance, 2008. 108p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2013 at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/mfs-ip/incarceration&family/report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/mfs-ip/incarceration&family/report.pdf Shelf Number: 111762 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFathers |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: Liminal Men: Incarceration and Family Instability Summary: Incarceration, now a rite of passage for many economically disadvantaged minority men involving an immediate and involuntary removal from families, places these marginal men in a liminal state where they are simultaneously members of families and isolated from families. Despite a burgeoning literature documenting the collateral consequences of incarceration for family life, as well as evidence that the deleterious effects of incarceration for maternal and child wellbeing stem from resultant family instability, much less is known about the direct link between incarceration and family instability. I consider this association with data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal survey uniquely positioned to understand the consequences of incarceration for family life. Results show that paternal incarceration is associated with relatively immediate relationship dissolution among couples in both marital and non-marital romantic partnerships when their child is born. But incarceration is inconsequential for couples that survive this initial period. The association between paternal incarceration and dissolution is not explained by post-incarceration changes in relationship quality, economic wellbeing, or physical and mental health, suggesting the liminality accompanying confinement is directly responsible for the deleterious consequences. Taken together, these findings document the consequences of liminality, link the literature on the collateral consequences of mass incarceration with the literature on demographic changes in family life, and have important implications for the transmission of inequality across generations. Details: Princeton, NJ: The Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, 2013. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper: Accessed August 6, 2013 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-12-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-12-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 129558 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (U.S.) |
Author: McKay Title: Parenting from Prison: Innovative Programs to Support Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers Summary: This brief describes efforts of the national MFS-IP initiative to build collaborations between the criminal justice system and human service agencies to provide family support services to incarcerated fathers, their children, and their co-parents. These grants fund efforts to strengthen father-child bonds through parenting, co-parenting, and relationship-building classes; child-friendly visitation; communication support; and auxiliary services. Eleven of the 12 MFS-IP grants provide parenting as well as couple support. Grantees combine established approaches to parenting skills training with innovative efforts to improve relationships between co-parents and increase father-child contact during incarceration. Recognizing the importance of material stability for successful parenting, many programs also work to address their participants’ vocational, financial, and housing needs through education, case management, and job placement assistance. Participation in all programs is voluntary. Furthermore, in the interest of protecting children and preventing domestic violence, many programs impose exclusion criteria that limit the participation of fathers convicted of sex offenses or child abuse, or of those subject to protective orders prohibiting contact with their co-parents or children. We draw on data from a national implementation evaluation of these grantees, including site visits and interviews with key stakeholders from the MFS-IP programs during Years 1 to 3 of program delivery. We also present preliminary, descriptive data from baseline interviews with incarcerated fathers and co-parents involved in a multisite, longitudinal impact study. While programs funded under this mechanism will continue serving families through September 2011, this brief describes their efforts through Year 3 of the grant period (ending September 2009). Details: Washington, DC: Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010. Source: Internet Resource: ASPE Research Brief: Accessed August 7, 2013 at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/mfs-ip/Innovative/rb.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/mfs-ip/Innovative/rb.pdf Shelf Number: 129570 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesParenting Skills (U.S.)Prisoner Reentry |
Author: Raeder, Lyrna Title: Pregnancy- and Child-Related Legal and Policy Issues Concerning Justice-Involved Women Summary: The potential for legal liability looms large for correctional administrators in prison, jail, probation, and parole settings. Although "litigation is always a possibility regardless of its ultimate likelihood of success, positive outcomes are more likely when legal issues have been anticipated and administrators can articulate appropriate reasons for the policy, practice or conduct in question." As the number of women under some form of correctional custody increases, administrators are tasked with establishing policies and practices around myriad issues that are unique to or occur with greater frequency with women in the correctional system. In 2003, the National Institute of Corrections published Gender Responsive Strategies: Research, Practice, and Guiding Principles for Women Offenders as the result of a multiyear project aimed at creating a foundation for administrators and practitioners to manage justice-involved women effectively. That document's appendix provided a legal overview of issues that affect women offenders, such as equal protection and access to facilities, programs, and services; staffing and supervision; sexual misconduct; due process challenges; and pregnancy- and child-related questions. This document-the first of a two-part series on legal issues affecting corrections with regard to justice-involved women-builds upon that appendix. It specifically focuses on reproductive health issues; pregnancy management, particularly with regard to obstetrics and gynecological health issues; pregnancy-related security considerations; visitation; the effect of parental incarceration on both the incarcerated mother and child; and how these issues must inform reentry planning. While many of these issues affect a small percentage of the overall corrections population, they may contribute to an increased outlay of resources, particularly with regard to reproductive, obstetrical, and gynecological issues. As with most correctional challenges, there is no one "right" way to deal with these types of issues. Because of changes in established practices and needed resources, corrections officials tasked with developing strategies to address these issues should collect data and analyze research from various sources and may look to case law and legal decisions for additional guidance. This document aims to assist administrators in developing policies and practices to address the issues common in female offender populations by providing the legal framework in which authorities made decisions and the contextual information around those decisions. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2013. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: NIC Accession No. 027701: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Shelf Number: 131806 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Jarjoura, Roger Title: Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents Summary: In September 2013, a Listening Session on Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents was held in Washington, DC. This session was organized by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in partnership with the White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Public Engagement. It continues the administration's commitment to support youth with incarcerated parents and to ensure that all young people get the best possible start in life. The day-long session comprised more than 40 participants and was co-facilitated by the first two authors of this report. Participants included: - Officials from relevant government agencies and departments; - Individuals recognized by the White House in June 2013 as Champions of Change for Children of Incarcerated Parents; - Representatives from mentoring organizations and other programs with experience serving children with incarcerated parents and their families; and - Youth who were current or previous participants in two of the mentoring programs represented, along with their mentors and family members. This report summarizes both the research and stakeholder input shared during the Listening Session and offers recommendations to further advance the availability and effectiveness of mentoring for children of incarcerated parents. The organization of the report largely follows the agenda of the Listening Session, provided in the appendix. The Listening Session began with brief overviews of research on children of incarcerated parents (Dr. Shlafer) as well as mentoring programs and relationships for youth in general (Dr. DuBois) and for children with incarcerated parents specifically (Dr. Jarjoura). Following an opportunity to discuss the presentations, participants were asked to share their views concerning the significance and most important features of mentoring relationships in the lives of children with incarcerated parents. Next, Drs. Jarjoura and DuBois facilitated an in-depth participant discussion on specific areas of program infrastructure and practice as they pertain to effectively mentoring this population. The session concluded with participants sharing their views regarding the most important next steps for making high-quality mentoring available to children of incarcerated parents. It should be noted that the recommendations included in this report, although informed by the perspectives of session participants, are solely those of the report's authors. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2013. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2014 at: http://www.ojjdp.gov/about/MentoringCOIP2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ojjdp.gov/about/MentoringCOIP2013.pdf Shelf Number: 131816 Keywords: Children of PrisonersMentoring |
Author: Dwyer, James G. Title: Jailing Black Babies Summary: In many situations of family dysfunction stemming from poverty, the interests of parents are in conflict with the interests of their offspring. This presents a dilemma for liberals. We want to mitigate the harsh consequences and suffering that conditions we deem unjust have caused some adults, especially adults of minority race. But we are also concerned about the welfare of children born into impoverished and troubled communities. The predominant liberal response to this dilemma has been to sidestep it by ignoring or denying the conflict and to then take positions aimed at protecting parents' interests, without giving serious attention to the impact on children. The result is a set of liberal polies that effectively imprison black children in dysfunctional families and communities and so ensure that they fall into the inter-generational cycle of poverty, addiction, and criminality. Epitomizing this phenomenon is the fast-growing phenomenon of states' placing newborn children, predominantly of minority race, into prison to live for months or years with their incarcerated mothers. Advocates for incarcerated women, not advocates for children, have promoted prison nurseries, and they have done so with no research support for any hope of positive child welfare outcomes. Conservative legislators and prison officials agree to experiment with such programs when convinced they will reduce recidivism among female convicts, a supposition that also lacks empirical support. Remarkably, states have placed babies in prisons without anyone undertaking an analysis of the constitutionality of doing so. This Article presents a compelling child welfare case against prison nurseries, based on rigorous examination of the available empirical evidence, and it presents the first published analysis of how constitutional and statutory rules governing incarceration and civil commitment apply to housing of children in prisons. It shows that prison nursery programs harm the great majority of children who begin life in them, and it argues that placing infants in prison violates their Fourteenth Amendment substantive and procedural due process rights as well as federal and state legislation prohibiting placement of minors in adult prisons. This Article further challenges liberal family policy more generally. Its final Part describes other policy contexts in which liberal advocacy and scholarship relating to persons who are poor or of minority race consistently favors the interests of adults in this population over the interests of children. It offers a diagnosis of why this occurs, and it explains why this is both morally untenable and ultimately self-defeating for liberals committed to racial equality and social justice. The Article's broader thesis is that liberals bear a large share of the responsibility for perpetuation of blacks' subordination. Details: Williamsburg, VA: William & Mary Law School, 2013. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: William & Mary Law School Research Paper No. 09-239: Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2231562 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2231562 Shelf Number: 131875 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of PrisonersFemale InmatesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Irish Penal Reform Trust Title: Women in the Criminal Justice System: Towards a Non-Custodial Approach Summary: The IPRT Position Paper 10: Women in the Criminal Justice System - Towards a non-custodial approach includes an account of recent trends in the imprisonment of women in Ireland. It goes on to look at the complex range of needs experienced by many women convicted of an offence and the associated overuse of remand for women offenders. It then discusses the issues faced by women in prison who have caring responsibilities, followed by a section on challenges faced by women leaving prison. Key Messages - The number and proportion of women in the Irish prison population has increased significantly in recent years. Most women are committed to prison for non-violent offences, such as non-payment of fines. Consequences have included overcrowding in women's prisons and an overuse of temporary release. - Women offenders tend to come from a background of social disadvantage and poverty, and often suffer from mental health problems, substance dependency, accommodation problems and poor family relationships. These issues can make it difficult for women to adhere to bail conditions, which has led to an overuse of remand for women offenders. This in turn has negative implications for children of women who are imprisoned on remand and the employment prospects of these women. - A high proportion of women in prison have children. Women also play an important role in caring for dependent relatives. Women who are imprisoned can no longer fulfil their caring responsibilities and the consequences of this can be significant. This is particularly an issue for mothers with babies, due to the absence of a mother and baby unit in either female prison in Ireland. - Women face a range of problems on being released from prison, relating to housing, accommodation and stability, and over half of women prisoners reoffend. - Developments in the UK have reflected a growing acknowledgement of the value of non-custodial alternatives and community-based supports for women offenders. This has also been highlighted by the UN, in the 'Bangkok Rules', which have informed the Irish Inspector of Prisons on the subject of women prisoners. - The 'one-stop-shop' approach to supporting women offenders in the community takes a holistic approach, with a range of supports and services provided in one location. A number of centres in the UK are based on this promising model. In Ireland, the Tus Nua project provides supported housing and other supports to women leaving the Dochas Centre. - This position paper makes two key recommendations: that a non-custodial approach should be adopted for women offenders; and in the few cases where prison is necessary, the negative impact of imprisonment on the women and those they care for should be minimised. The next section details developments in the UK and prison standards that reflect an increasing acknowledgement of the value of a community-based approach to dealing with women offenders. This is followed by an overview of some emerging models of good practice, followed by conclusions and two key recommendations. Details: Dublin: Irish Penal Reform Trust, 2013. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: IPRT Position Paper 10: Accessed March 14, 2014 at: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Position_Paper_on_Women_in_the_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.iprt.ie/files/IPRT_Position_Paper_on_Women_in_the_Criminal_Justice_System.pdf Shelf Number: 131924 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationChildren of PrisonersCommunity Based CorrectionsCommunity CorrectionsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersWomen Inmates |
Author: Haskins, Anna R. Title: Mass Imprisonment and the Intergenerational Transmission of Disadvantage: Paternal Incarceration and Children's Cognitive Skill Development Summary: As a growing number of American school-aged children have incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents, it has become increasingly important to understand the intergenerational effects of mass imprisonment. I use the Fragile Families Study and its rich paternal incarceration data to assess whether having an incarcerated father impacts children's cognitive skill development by middle childhood. Matching models and sensitivity analyses demonstrate that experiencing paternal incarceration by age 9 is associated with lower cognitive skills and these negative effects hold when controlling for pre-paternal incarceration measures of child cognitive ability. Moreover, I estimate that paternal incarceration explains between 2 and 15 percent of the Black-White achievement gap at age 9. These findings illustrate how mass imprisonment contributes to the persistence of educational disparities, suggesting paternal incarceration as a pathway for the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage from parent to child. Details: Princeton, NJ: Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton, University, 2013. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Fragile Families Working Paper: WP13-15-FF: Accessed June 19, 2014 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-15-FF.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP13-15-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 132530 Keywords: Children of PrisonersEducationFamilies of InmatesRacial Disparities |
Author: Turney, Kristin Title: Detrimental for Some? The Heterogeneous Effects of Maternal Incarceration on Child Wellbeing Summary: We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,197) to consider the average and heterogeneous effects of maternal incarceration on nine-year-old children's internalizing problem behaviors, externalizing problem behaviors, PPVT scores, and early juvenile delinquency. We find that maternal incarceration has no average effect on measures of child wellbeing, consistent with previous research, but that effects are highly heterogeneous by the propensity to experience maternal incarceration. For children whose mothers are least likely to experience incarceration, the effects of maternal incarceration are pronounced, corresponding to between two-fifths and three-fifths of a standard deviation difference from their counterparts without incarcerated mothers. These findings suggest that the consequences of maternal incarceration vary substantially across social contexts. Details: Princeton, NJ: Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Princeton University,, 2014. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2014 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP14-02-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 132618 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale PrisonersJuvenile DelinquencyMothering |
Author: Epstein, Rona Title: Mothers in Prison: The sentencing of mothers and the rights of the child Summary: Of the women in prison 66 per cent are mothers of dependent children. Imprisonment of a father or mother entails the forcible separation of a child from its parents and therefore impacts on the child's rights under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Thus sentencing courts are required to obtain information on dependent children and then conduct a balancing exercise weighing the rights of potentially affected children against the seriousness of the parent's offence. Do the courts always obtain information about the affected children, and are the rights of the child in fact considered by the criminal courts? This is a matter of significance for the welfare of children and for our system of justice. I have undertaken research to explore to what extent, if at all, the required balancing exercise is being carried out in the English criminal courts. The research covered 75 cases of the imposition of custody (suspended and immediate) on mothers who care for a dependent child. My research found that, in general, the rights of the child were not considered when their mothers were sent to prison. I argue that this is a flaw in our legal process, which should be rectified on social, legal and moral grounds. Details: London: The Howard League, 2014. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Howard League What is Justice? Working Papers 3/2014: Accessed October 13, 2014 at: http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-client-groups/adult-offenders/howardleagueforpenalreform/162422HLWP_3_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://socialwelfare.bl.uk/subject-areas/services-client-groups/adult-offenders/howardleagueforpenalreform/162422HLWP_3_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 133885 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Female Prisoners |
Author: Minson, Shona Title: Mitigating Motherhood: A study of the impact of motherhood on sentencing decision in England and Wales Summary: This is an exploratory study of the impact of motherhood on mitigation in sentencing decisions in England and Wales. Previous studies have explored the influence of personal mitigation on sentencing decisions but little is known about the way in which judges interpret motherhood in this context. A growing number of children are separated from their mothers by imprisonment, and the state has a duty to protect them from discrimination or punishment suffered as a consequence of the actions of their parents. This study is a preliminary study exploring the visibility of these children in the sentencing process, and examining whether the caring responsibilities of a defendant mother are treated as personal mitigation to reduce sentence length. The study adopts a qualitative and mixed methods approach, combining semi-structured interviews with sentencing transcripts analysis to provide a multi-faceted view of this complex area. The findings highlight that discretion in the application of mitigation leads to inter and intra judge inconsistency. Personal factors including knowledge and experience influence a judge's use of pre-sentence reports. The defendants' sentence was more likely to be mitigated by motherhood if the judge had considered a pre-sentence report, regardless of whether the judge agreed with the recommendations of the report. Details: London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2014. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 22, 2014 at: https://d19ylpo4aovc7m.cloudfront.net/fileadmin/howard_league/user/pdf/Publications/motherhood_and_sentencing.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://d19ylpo4aovc7m.cloudfront.net/fileadmin/howard_league/user/pdf/Publications/motherhood_and_sentencing.pdf Shelf Number: 133801 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of PrisonersFemale Offenders (U.K.)Sentencing |
Author: Losel, Friedrich Title: Risk and protective factors in the resettlement of imprisoned fathers with their families Summary: Parental imprisonment can be one of the most critical life events for families. It can disrupt marital and family relationships, have negative outcomes for children, and aggravate material and social problems. Furthermore, adjusting to life after prison is challenging for ex-prisoners and their families. Approximately one-half of prisoners are fathers of children under the age of 18, yet prisoners' children and families seem to be an 'invisible group' in our society (Ministry of Justice/Department for Schools, Children and Families, 2007). How families adjust to the return of an imprisoned partner or parent, the stress these events place on parents and children, and the support systems and coping mechanisms of family members have been rarely addressed in research. Most of past research has focused on parental imprisonment as a risk factor in the development of families and, in particular, the children (e.g., Murray & Farrington, 2008). On the other hand, families with strong ties can also be 'a resource, which is part of the solution' (Ministry of Justice, 2007, p. 17). Such relationships may help to protect the children of prisoners from negative outcomes and enable ex-prisoners to desist from further offending. To provide more detailed knowledge on both risk and protective factors and processes, the present study has been carried out in a collaboration between Ormiston Children and Families Trust and the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge (funded by a grant from the Big Lottery Fund). The project is the first prospective longitudinal study in the United Kingdom and Europe to investigate risk and protective factors in the resettlement of imprisoned fathers and their families that gathered data from family sets of parents and children. It has addressed the quality of family relationships, contact during imprisonment, communication and problem solving, parenting and care-giving, informal social support, experiences of stigmatisation, finances, employment, accommodation, participation in support programmes, health issues, social behaviour, resilience and other factors that may be linked to positive or negative outcomes for parents and children. The research has been undertaken not only to increase our knowledge of such processes, but also to assist the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and third sector organisations working to support families to develop more effective interventions for imprisoned fathers, their (ex)partners and their children. Details: Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge, 2012. 125p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2015 at: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/research/fathers_in_prison/final_report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crim.cam.ac.uk/research/fathers_in_prison/final_report.pdf Shelf Number: 134544 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates (U.K.)ReentryResettlement |
Author: Markson, Lucy Title: The impact of contextual family risks on prisoners' children's behavioural outcomes and the potential protective role of family functioning moderators Summary: Research suggests that children of prisoners have an increased risk for behavioural and emotional problems. However, in a resilience approach one should expect heterogeneous outcomes and thus apply a contextualised perspective. As this is rarely acknowledged in empirical research, the present study sought to fill this gap using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study on 801 children of imprisoned fathers. We explored the extent to which cumulative family risks measured during the first year of life (e.g., poverty, mental health problems) predicted behavioural outcomes at age 9 and whether potentially protective aspects of family functioning moderated the impact of these risk factors. Cumulative risk significantly predicted behavioural outcomes, but the associations were weak. No strong evidence of moderation was found. At low risk, mother-child closeness moderated behavioural outcomes. There was also some evidence of moderation by accumulated protective factors. Potential implications for policy and practice and challenges for further research are discussed. . Details: Working paper, 2015. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Fragile Families Working Paper: WP15-01-FF: Accessed May 13, 2015 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP15-01-FF.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP15-01-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 135551 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Title: Unfinished business: Koori women and the justice system Summary: It has been 20 years since the report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and, sadly, in that time the proportion of Australian prisoners that are Indigenous has almost doubled. In Victoria, the over-representation of Koori people in prison, women in particular, has also increased dramatically in the last few years. Research shows once they have had contact with justice system, they are very likely to reoffend and return to prison. Around 80 per cent of the Koori women in prison are mothers, so their imprisonment not only removes them from the community - it removes their children from them. This increases the likelihood of their children entering out-of-homecare, which is in turn one of the biggest risk factors for them one day coming in contact with the justice system themselves. The longer term effects of this are profound, on the women, their families and their children. In the shorter term they are compounded by the lack of pre-prison diversionary options and support postrelease and in the inability to access employment or education or find safe and affordable housing for themselves and their children. Without these things the risk of re-offending is significantly higher. Details: Carlton, Victoria: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/87691/311342/pub/document.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/87691/311342/pub/document.pdf Shelf Number: 129679 Keywords: AboriginalsChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersIndigenous PeoplesWomen Prisoners |
Author: Peterson, Bryce Title: Children of Incarcerated Parents Framework Document: Promising Practices, Challenges, and Recommendations for the Field Summary: Nearly 3 million US children under the age of 18 currently have a parent in jail or prison, and an estimated 10 million or more children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lifetimes. Those children often experience trauma when they witness their parents being arrested, see them in court, and visit them in jail. The Urban Institute partnered with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) on a project to identify promising and innovative practices that have the potential to mitigate that trauma and to improve parent-child relationships. This project yielded a framework document and three toolkits. The toolkits provide detailed information on how to develop and implement parental arrest policies, family-focused jail programs, and family impact statements, while this framework document synthesizes what we learned about promising practices, and it provides information about the context surrounding children and their justice-involved parents. This document aims to help people interested in developing practices in their own jurisdictions to understand how important these issues are, to learn how to talk about these issues with their constituencies, and to appreciate how changes in practice can make meaningful differences for children and parents. To accomplish the goals, we engaged in several processes to determine which practices to highlight. - First, we conducted a scan of practices by leveraging our various professional networks, sifting through publicly available information online, and conducting telephone interviews with program staff members in 40 organizations and agencies. - From this scan, the Urban staff, in partnership with NIC, selected three locations that were most suitable for site visits. Those locations - New York City , New York; Allegheny County and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the San Francisco Bay Area, California - had a concentration of efforts focused on children of justice-involved parents that seemed to be promising and worth disseminating to a larger audience through this project. The three locations were selected because they each had stakeholders from nonprofit organizations and government agencies working together on practices for the children of justice-involved individuals. Selecting those sites offered the opportunity to gain a diversity of perspectives, to learn about their public-private partnerships, and to gather information about how a single location can target parental involvement across several stages of the criminal justice continuum, including arrest, pretrial detention, and sentencing. Appendix A (p. 24) provides a more thorough description of each location, including the organizations and stakeholders with whom we met during our site visits. - Finally, we conducted site visits to meet with relevant stakeholders in government agencies and community-based organizations across the three locations. During those visits, we spoke to stakeholders in multiple positions - from agency heads and executives involved in designing collaborative efforts and initiatives, to supervisors managing programs and to the staff members directly serving children or justice-involved parents. We interviewed actors representing multiple roles and heard about a range of issues that surfaced, both during policy development and execution, in the interviewees' efforts to meet the needs of children with parents in the justice system. From those discussions, as well as observations of field operations, we learned about several promising and innovative practices geared toward the children. We were also able to gather and synthesize lessons for the field, thereby identifying the challenges that stakeholders encountered in developing and implementing the programs, as well as their recommendations for overcoming the challenges. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2015. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2015 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000256-Children-of-Incarcerated-Parents-Framework-Document.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/2000256-Children-of-Incarcerated-Parents-Framework-Document.pdf Shelf Number: 136513 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Conway, James M. Title: Seven Out of Ten? Not Even Close: A Review of Research on the Likelihood of Children with Incarcerated Parents Becoming Justice-Involved Summary: This report from Central Connecticut State University refutes claims that children of incarcerated parents (CIP) are six times more likely than other children to become involved with the justice system. Its evaluation of previous studies conducted on the impact of incarceration on children show that these children are three - not six - times more likely than children of non-incarcerated parents to become involved with the justice system. The finds indicate much lower levels of justice involvement. Details: New Britain, CT: Central Connecticut State University, 2015. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2015 at: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Shelf Number: 136514 Keywords: Children of Prisoners |
Author: Conway, James M. Title: Children with Incarcerated Parents: A Quantitative Evaluation of Mentoring and Home-Based Counseling and Case Management Services Summary: The Connecticut General Assembly has provided funding to address needs of children with an incarcerated parent (CIP). The funding is administered and effectiveness of services evaluated by Central Connecticut State University's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP). The IMRP, using a competitive RFP process, funded services beginning in 2008, by two organizations: one providing one-on-one community-based mentoring, the other strengths-based in-home counseling and case management. This report describes a quantitative evaluation of CIPs' well being while receiving services for up to 13 months. Details: New Britain, CT: Central Connecticut State University, 2015. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 16, 2015 at: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Shelf Number: 136777 Keywords: Children of PrisonersMentoring |
Author: Werblow, Jacob Title: Continuing the Dream: The Effect of Kingian Nonviolence on Youth Affected by Incarceration Summary: The ThinKING program was presented as a three-week course in Kingian Nonviolence to self-selected high school students enrolled in the City of Hartford's Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP). Thirty-two students, nearly half of which were children of incarcerated parents (CIP) and many of whom had an incarcerated family member, enrolled during the summer of 2012. The Connecticut Center for Nonviolence (CTCN) developed the ThinKING curriculum based off the Kingian nonviolence Leaders Manual (LaFayette & Jehnsen, 1995). Youth participating in the program received over 80 hours of instruction, involving Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation curriculum (level-I), daily arts enrichment, and weekly structured group therapy conversations about incarceration and violence. Twenty-six students successfully completed the program and received certification in Thinking Level-I Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Reconciliation. Pre-and post-test results strongly indicate that the three-week program significantly increased intentions to use nonviolent strategies for the youth and also increased youth's self-efficacy, including confidence in their ability to stay out of fights. After completing the three-week training, youth were 92% less likely to define violence as only a physical act and 81% more likely to describe violence as something that is both physical and nonphysical (both). When asked, "The last time you were in a serious conflict situation, what was the conflict about? How did you respond?" There was no change in the number of students who responded with physical violence; however, there was a 325% increase in the number of participants reporting that they had deescalated the conflict, and a 75% reduction in the number of participants who said they had escalated the situation. These findings suggest that the ThinKING program is a promising strategy for violence prevention for youth with incarcerated parents or family members. Details: New Haven, CT: Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy and the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence, 2013. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ctcip.org/publications/imrp/ Shelf Number: 136828 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren of PrisonersDelinquency PreventionViolenceViolence CrimeViolence Prevention |
Author: Manby, Martin Title: Exploring the Emotional Impact of Parental Imprisonment on Children through Children's, Parents' and Carers' Accounts Summary: This child-centred case study, which explored the impact of parental imprisonment on children, developed from the European COPING research project (2010 - 2012). Qualitative methods and a thematic analysis were used to review data from interviews with children, their parents/carers and imprisoned parents, in 22 families, mainly from the north of England. My findings confirmed that the quality of children's relationships with their parent/carer and other relatives is the most important protective factors for them. Children's resilience is frequently characterised by a two-way empathetic process, children being supported by their parents/carers and supporting them in return. Time is a crucial dimension in how children experience parental imprisonment. The experience of stigma was almost universal for families in this study. Children were cautious about sharing information about parental imprisonment. Paternal and maternal imprisonment impact differentially on children. Children seem more likely to experience emotional turmoil from the imprisonment of their same sex parent. Girls tend to be more resilient and boys more vulnerable. Schools are most often the agencies best placed to help children of prisoners. Parents/carers frequently gained self-confidence from successfully fulfilling their responsibilities. They re-appraised their imprisoned partner's role and status, and families developed either more open or more closed policies about handling parental imprisonment. Imprisoned parents can partially fulfil their parenting roles. Alongside the harm caused to children by parental imprisonment, a majority of families experienced some benefits. Further research should explore the differential impact of parental imprisonment on girls and boys in more detail. Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, 2014. 361p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed September 25, 2015 at: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/24268/1/Final_thesis_-_MANBY.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/24268/1/Final_thesis_-_MANBY.pdf Shelf Number: 136872 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Reid Howie Associates Title: HMP Low Moss Research Programme into Innovative Practice (Vol 1). Family Visits and First Time in Custody Summary: A number of innovative practices are being introduced in HMP Low Moss. These are designed to stimulate, promote and sustain cultural change, and to support prisoner rehabilitation through mentoring, pro-social examples and positive role modelling. Amongst the new developments are: - An innovative system for visits and family contact, focusing on promoting family integration in a positive pro-social environment, driven by the needs of the family and specifically the child. - A separate regime and facilities for prisoners in custody for the first time. Research was carried out in late 2012 / early 2013 to explore the implementation and impact of these new practices and the main findings are summarised below. Visits and family contact. The new approach to visits and family contact involves the visitor (rather than the prisoner) arranging the visits. There are three family and friends visit sessions per day (and two at weekends) and prisoners can take as many visits as they wish, subject to availability. Children's visits are available daily at 17:15, where prisoners can play with their children and help with homework, and all prisoners who are parents or grandparent are eligible for these. There is also an induction visit for prisoners who are new to custody, or new to Low Moss. The ethos of the prison also involves working to promote a positive environment in which positive contact can take place. Key findings The new approach to visits and family contact in Low Moss is seen to be very positive overall by prisoners, families, staff and volunteers. Both family and friends visits and children's visits are seen to be beneficial, and the approach to visits and family contact is seen as consistent with the overall ethos in Low Moss. The approach is seen to have a positive impact on enabling prisoners to maintain relationships with their families and to be involved in their lives, affecting: the actual relationships; the level of participation by prisoners in family life; and their ability to discuss important issues with their families. There is a clear view that the children's visits have a positive impact on bonding between prisoners and their children, and that they enable parents and grandparents to be involved in their children and grandchildren's growing up. While it is more difficult to identify the impact of visits and family contact upon future desistance (given, for example, the influence of other factors and the longer term timescale for such an impact), participants expressed a number of positive views which are relevant to future behaviour, with family contact seen as an important aspect of easing prisoners' transition back into the community. Aspects of the new approach to visits and family contact considered particularly positive are: - The opportunity, frequency and availability of family contact. - Flexibility in approach and the focus on enabling contact. - Pleasant surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere for the visits. - Activities and events (particularly freedom of movement at children's visits). - The staff approach. - The benefits to prisoners and families of the positive family contact. Against this background, however, there are concerns with some specific aspects of visits and family contact, which appear to impact on prisoners' and families' experiences and views. These relate to: - Practical problems with the booking system. - Timing, length and accessibility issues for some families. - Aspects of the process and rules (e.g. nature / level of security procedures). - Aspects of privacy (particularly in a small number of tables in the visit room). - Aspects of the layout and facilities for some families. - The quality and availability of toys and equipment for children. - The limited choice of refreshments and lack of hot food. - The attitudes of some staff (and variation in these). While the general approach to visits and family contact is seen to be very positive, a number of suggestions are made in the report about addressing these concerns. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Prison Service, 2014. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3517.aspx Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3517.aspx Shelf Number: 137003 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesVisitation |
Author: Reid Howie Associates Title: HMP Low Moss Research Programme into Innovative Practice 2012-2014. (Vol 2). Relationships, Culture and Ethos Summary: There have been a number of significant changes in the SPS in recent years at strategic, policy and practice level, and in wider criminal justice policy. The new HMP Low Moss has been involved in implementing and testing innovative practice and the revised SPS operating philosophy since it opened in March 2012. A range of new practices have been introduced into the prison which are designed to stimulate, promote and sustain cultural change and to support prisoner rehabilitation within the new penal environment. A programme of research has been undertaken to explore these innovative practices in Low Moss and their impact, in the context of wider changes. This research was part of that programme, and the overall objectives of this study were to examine the quality of relationships within the regime and the nature of the prevailing culture and ethos in Low Moss. The study took an "Appreciative Inquiry" (AI) approach to identifying the key issues for those living and working in Low Moss, with a focus on identifying "best experiences" throughout/ Key Findings There were generally very positive views of the relationships, culture and ethos in Low Moss from stakeholder groups of all types. The research identified a prevalent view that Low Moss was different (and preferable) to other prisons in Scotland. Key factors included the focus in the prison on: - Relationships based on mutual respect, support and appropriate values. - Positive relationships with families. - Provision of opportunities and holistic support to prisoners, to enable change. - The overall environment, including safety and comfort. - A positive, "can-do" ethos and culture. The research found that the Low Moss regime, operating philosophy and culture were seen to have become an integral part of the prison in its first 18 months, with the approach having "bedded in". The approach was seen to have a positive impact upon stakeholders in terms of, for example: day to day well-being and satisfaction; personal development; addressing specific issues; promoting positive change among prisoners; and contributing to the likelihood of their future desistance from offending. There was found to be a shared strategic approach and "vision" at senior management level, with a high level of commitment, as well as good team-working and mutual support and a general focus on enabling and encouraging new ideas. Most staff viewed working in Low Moss favourably, with strong teamworking and generally positive views of relationships with a range of stakeholders. Staff recognised the difference in their work with prisoners implied by the Low Moss approach, and many valued the challenge. The prison was seen to have high expectations of staff, and staff were generally proud of their involvement in "making a difference". There were seen to be good opportunities for learning and development for ambitious staff. Most of the prisoners identified Low Moss as being different to other prisons they had experienced, and expressed positive views of the difference. Aspects of the Low Moss approach identified as particularly important to them included: better treatment by staff; the "family-friendly approach"; positive opportunities and support; the relaxed atmosphere; and the safe, clean, well-equipped and modern environment. Relationships between prisoners themselves were also seen to be generally good, particularly in the PIP section (for those in custody for the first time), and the provision of support by other prisoners was common. Prisoners generally felt that they were listened to, and that the staff would explain reasons for decisions more readily than in other prisons. Other stakeholders and service providers were also very positive overall about the prison, and their own experiences and involvement. There was seen to be a good level of partnership and "joined up" working, with input from other stakeholders being seen as integral to the holistic approach within the prison. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Prison Service, 2014. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 19, 2015 at: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3520.aspx Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Publications/Publication-3520.aspx Shelf Number: 137004 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCorrectional AdministrationCorrections OfficersFamilies of InmatesPrison AdministrationPrisons |
Author: Weaver, Beth Title: Families of Prisoners: A Review of the Evidence Summary: The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of the issues experienced by the children and families of prisoners and to provide a resource to be used in conjunction with other resources to inform the "Child and Family Impact Assessments" and subsequent support proposed by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill. This paper represents a summary of research into the needs and experiences of children and families of prisoners; the impact of imprisonment on family relationships; and the role that families play in supporting the reintegration process. The literature reviewed here highlights that the impacts of imprisonment on children and families can be significant and wide ranging, including emotional, social, psychological, financial, relational, physical and developmental effects. However, the extent to which a child or family will be affected will be influenced by a myriad of factors particular to that child and their family, and the impact will vary according to the nature of the offence, pre-prison variables and other underlying difficulties, relational dynamics, care arrangements (before and during the period of incarceration), and the wider support systems and socio-structural context. Likewise the impact of imprisonment on family relationships is not straightforward and is influenced by various factors including pre-prison factors (such as the residential status of the imprisoned parent and relationship quality), which relationship is being considered (i.e. with intimate partners or parent/child), and the level and type of in-prison contact. Moreover, whilst the role and range of supports that families can provide in resettlement support is recognised as critical, such generalisations obscure the complexity and contingency of the experiences and effects of imprisonment for prisoners' families, on relationships, and their capacities to provide this support. Consequently, a number of implications for policy and practice are evident, including: - Progressing the details of the Support for Children (Impact of Parental Imprisonment) (Scotland) Bill via the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill; - Reducing the use of imprisonment; - Adopting a multi-disciplinary and "Whole Family" approach to all practice that takes seriously the views of the incarcerated parent, their child[ren] and their family and which identifies, assesses and builds on their needs and strengths; - Ensuring the identification, and completion of individualised and holistic assessments, of the children and families of prisoners that include factors at the level of the individual, wider family and community; - Supporting the needs of children and families of imprisoned parents through the proactive provision of timely information, practical advice, and emotional support, which may be via peer support groups; problem solving family work; and/or proactively referring such families to specialist services; - Where appropriate, supporting contact with the imprisoned family member; - Increased public and professional awareness of the prevalence of parental imprisonment and the needs and strengths of families of prisoners. Details: Glasgow: Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice, 2015l 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2015 at: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Families-of-Prisoners-A-Review-of-The-Evidence-FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Families-of-Prisoners-A-Review-of-The-Evidence-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 137358 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: O'Keeffe, Caroline Title: Enhancing Care for Childbearing Women and their Babies in Prison Summary: All available research suggests that the struggles of childbearing women in prison are extremely complex. And whilst their babies represent a relatively small proportion of all children affected by maternal imprisonment, they are arguably the neediest and most vulnerable group. This report documents the findings of a collaborative research project, funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust, between Action for Prisoners' and Offenders' Families (APOF) and the Hallam Centre for Community Justice (HCCJ) at Sheffield Hallam University. The project aimed to map current knowledge and research evidence on childbearing women in prison and their babies and to transfer this learning into policy and practice. All women who are pregnant or have a child below the age of eighteen months at the point of entering custody have the opportunity to apply for a place within designated living accommodation within a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). However, in England, there is a high rate of rejection of MBU applications, MBU places are under-utilised and frequently lie empty across the women's estate. The research identified a range of factors which mitigated against an MBU application including: - women choosing to not reveal their status as mothers to the authorities and making their own 'informal' care arrangements; - women not expecting to receive a custodial sentence at court so are unprepared for making the necessary care arrangements, including MBU application; - women being traumatised when they arrive in prison creating a difficult context in which to absorb information about their child placement options; - the trauma of arrival in prison causing a mother's breast milk to dry up thus having a detrimental impact on the bond with their baby, and making it less likely that they will seek to keep their baby with them; - mothers feeling like they are 'choosing' their baby over their older children who may be living with relatives in the community, should they apply for an MBU place; - women being inadequately informed about the provision available in MBUs and the benefits of residing in one; - some social workers working within a 'pro-separation' model which focuses on finding alternative care for children rather than exploring fully the possibility of MBU placement; - mothers viewing themselves as incapable of effective parenting and their babies as being better off without them; - women may be under pressure from family members to leave their babies in the community. Details: Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Hallam University, Hallam Centre for Community Justice, 2015. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2016 at: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Shelf Number: 137756 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Gordon, Liz Title: Formative Evaluation report Summary: This brief formative evaluation examines issues arising from the development of a Pillars family/whanau re-integration programme in May and June 2011. The evaluation report is to be submitted to the Department of Corrections along with the written programme and materials that have been developed into the Close to Home package. Most prisoners are parents, and most do not keep in good touch with their children and whanau through the sentence. Yet the research makes it clear that prisoners who get good support from their families/whanau are far less likely to re-offend than those who do not. A range of programmes were researched in developing the programme, and include information on what kind of programme, eligibility issues, length, content and actual and expected outcomes for the courses. This information was used in developing the structure and content of Close to Home. The programme was developed over 6-8 weeks and has been written as a programme workbook for delivery. It is summarised in this report. Features of the programme include: the use of high quality assessment tools and workbooks that have been developed for other programmes; a significant amount of work with the prisoner and whanau present; a strong focus on planning reintegration; and the use of a range of agencies through the Strengthening Families process to facilitate prisoner re-entry. This approach allows for the particular issues facing individual families to be addressed, and for families/whanau to have access to the resources of a wide range of agencies. The programme The programme involves significant pre-release work and also post-release guiding and support. Stakeholders support family/whanau re-integration, although they have a range of different views as to what it entails. There is acknowledgement that prisons currently have not focussed adequately on the role of the family/whanau, nor on the prisoner as a parent. The project materials were analysed. A wide range of good quality materials are available and will be used at various points through the pilot project. Core tools include the Time's Up workbook and the assessment tools, among others. The main findings of the formative evaluation are that a very effective programme has been assembled using a range of resources from a variety of sources. Key risks include the need to bring in a new staff member for the pilot programme phase, and the difficulties in tailoring courses to individual needs. The main risk for the pilot programme is timeliness, as all aspects of the programme will need to be complete within three months. Details: Christchurch, NZ: Pukeko Research Ltd., 2012. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 10, 2016 at: http://www.pillars.org.nz/images/stories/pdfs/formative_evaluation_of_close_to_home.pdf Year: 2012 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.pillars.org.nz/images/stories/pdfs/formative_evaluation_of_close_to_home.pdf Shelf Number: 137834 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCorrectional ProgramsFamilies of InmatesMale InmatesMale PrisonersPrisoner ReentryPrisoner RehabilitationReintegration |
Author: Gordon, Liz Title: Formative Evaluation of the Activities Centre at Christchurch Men's Prison Summary: Should children visit their incarcerated parent in prison? Do prison policies and practices impede or support the maintenance of prisoners' family ties? These questions have been the focus of research both internationally and in New Zealand. The Pillars Inc research project (Gordon, 2009, 2011) which examined the situation of the children of prisoners in New Zealand, found that regulations around prison visiting had become much more stringent in recent years and few opportunities were evident for active parenting in the prison environment. Following Gordon's research, a joint prison/Pillars committee has worked to set up a pilot Activities Centre in the low security visiting area of Christchurch Men's Prison. The Centre's aim was to facilitate father and child bonding and contribute to better family outcomes. In conjunction with this initiative, an evaluation project was undertaken between April and June 2012. The evaluation data was gathered from a number of sources: a review of literature, paperwork, meeting minutes and materials associated with the Centre's background and development; attendance at the Centre over two days to observe, write field notes and undertake evaluative interviews with prisoners and their families; a series of stakeholder interviews. Setting up the Activities Centre was shared, using a task-orientated action model; Pillars were responsible for stocking and staffing the Centre, and Corrections undertook the capital development and furnishings. Preparations went smoothly. Three existing rooms in the visiting centre in Christchurch Mens' Prison were furnished as Arts and Crafts, reading and DVD rooms. The outdoor area was also improved, with a series of painted panels plus the addition of a hopscotch area. High quality toys, games, books and DVDs were purchased. The dates and times of the rooms' availability were well advertised beforehand and visitors could book half hour slots in advance. Although booking was minimal, over the two days that the Activities Centre was evaluated, rooms were full with families at all times. The evaluation visits identified some resource and management issues in accommodating the demand for rooms. Some conditions, such as not taking books, toys etc out of specified rooms, were relaxed in the interest of the families and children. The observer's notes provide a picture of the families' use of the Activities Centre and show that the initiative was highly successful, encouraging 'more normal' parental interactions with children, also providing privacy and quiet. In some cases some transformational changes in children's demeanour and behaviour were observed. The brief survey, undertaken with fourteen families over the two days, revealed that the families clearly enjoyed the space and the only complaint was that the Activities Centre was closed too often. The most popular activities are drawing, colouring and stickers, followed by dolls and cars. Overall the satisfaction ratings for the Activities Centre were very high. Providing adequate staffing was the most problematic issue as volunteers were hard to find. Consequently the centre was run by a Pillars social worker, who was paid for this work. This person believes that two paid staff should be employed to run the Activities Centre. This would allow the centre to open each week and volunteers could still be used as support. The advantage of paid staff is experience, adequate ongoing training, and possibly better skills. However, the need for staffing may make it less likely that other prisons might adopt a similar model. The stakeholders interviewed, consisting of two Corrections staff, two Pillars staff and one volunteer, were strongly supportive of children visiting their parents in prison; in particular, they found value in many aspects of the Activities Centre. The comments mainly focussed on relationship issues and the opportunity for parenting in the prison environment. However, stakeholders also agreed that more needed to be done generally to improve parent/child relationships when a parent is in prison and all offered suggestions about this. Several stakeholders cautioned that the existence and relatively cheap transformation of the rooms was a bonus, but they raised issues about (a) whether this is the best model and (b) whether it is replicable. Various institutional factors were also mentioned. The establishment of a pilot Activities Centre at Christchurch Mens' Prison facilitates father and child bonding and contributes to better family outcomes. The potential benefit of this initiative is clear and other correctional facilities in New Zealand might consider adopting a similar workable model. Details: Christchurch, NZ: Pukeko Research Ltd, 2012. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 11, 2016 at: http://www.pillars.org.nz/images/stories/pdfs/ac_evaluation_report.pdf Year: 2012 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.pillars.org.nz/images/stories/pdfs/ac_evaluation_report.pdf Shelf Number: 137841 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCorrectional ProgramsFamilies of InmatesMale InmatesMale PrisonersParenting |
Author: Sheahan, Frances Title: A Shared Sentence: Children of imprisoned parents in Uganda Summary: It is estimated that 200,000 children in Uganda have a parent in prison at any one time. Children of prisoners in Uganda and across Africa face many violations of their rights when their parents or primary caregivers are arrested and detained. They are confronted with the trauma of separation but also have to contend with subtle and not so subtle stigma and discrimination because of their parent's involvement with the criminal justice system. Children living in prison with their mothers often live in intolerable conditions with inadequate access to nutrition, play and education. In 2013, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child adopted its first ever General Comment on the rights of children when their parents or primary caregivers are in conflict with the law. This research conducted jointly by the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative and PRI assesses to what extent the guidance contained in the General Comment has been implemented in Uganda, highlighting some of the gaps that need to be filled. Details: London: Penal Reform International; Kampala, Uganda: Foundation for Human Rights Initiative: 2015. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2016 at: http://www.penalreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PRI_FHRI-Report_-Implementation-of-GC-No1-WEB.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Uganda URL: http://www.penalreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PRI_FHRI-Report_-Implementation-of-GC-No1-WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 137933 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesPrisoners |
Author: Prison Reform Trust Title: International Good Practice: Alternatives to imprisonment for women offenders Summary: This report presents a wide range of international examples of alternatives to custody for nonviolent women offenders. It profiles a number of dynamic projects in different jurisdictions, some of which have proven to be particularly successful in reducing reoffending in women offenders. Due to both time constraints and the availability of research evidence, the report uses information from predominantly Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. European examples are used where available and relevant. The women's prison population in England and Wales more than doubled between 1995 and 2010 and, although numbers are starting to decline somewhat, approximately 13,500 women are sent to prison each year in the UK. This is one of the highest rates of women's imprisonment in Western Europe. The human, social and financial costs are considerable. Women in prison are ten times more likely than men to harm themselves, Most women are imprisoned for short periods and they have very high reconviction rates, suggesting that for many prison is neither rehabilitative nor a deterrent. Many of the women sent to prison are mothers, compounding and prolonging the detrimental impact. According to one survey, six in ten women in prison had dependent children (on average two children.) At least a third of mothers are lone parents before imprisonment. In 2010, more than 17,000 children were separated from their mothers by imprisonment. For eight out of ten children, it's the first time they have been separated from their mums for more than a day or so. Innovative approaches are needed if these damaging impacts are to be significantly reduced. Various studies have shown that non-custodial programmes are significantly more cost-effective than imprisoning women who offender. The average annual cost of a woman's imprisonment in England and Wales today stands at L56,415 compared to a Community Order cost of L2,800 per year, and an average of L1,300 for standalone community-based services. From early intervention strategies to resettlement programmes, this report outlines a range of alternatives to imprisonment for women offenders. These include inter alia women's centres and one-stop-shops, community residential alternatives, and small units designed to accommodate women offenders. Focusing on a diverse range of alternatives emphasises the specific issues faced by women in the criminal justice systems across the world such as mental health needs, exposure to domestic and sexual abuse, drug and alcohol use, and homelessness. By addressing the factors that underlie women's offending, we are better able to generate sustainable alternatives that have the potential to significantly reduce offending. This research has been exclusively desk-based and as such makes extensive use of studies undertaken and statistics presented by academics, policy-makers, and international agencies. It focuses predominantly on non-violent adult women offenders, although some reference is made to young women offenders, older women offenders, and women sentenced for serious and violent crimes. It does not present a rigorous comparative analysis of different approaches but does include as much evaluative evidence as possible for the different initiatives. In October 2013 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences, presented a new report to the UN General Assembly, Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration of women. It illustrates the strong link between violence against women and women's imprisonment - prior to, during and after prison. That report examines the causes, conditions and consequences of women's incarceration and is a timely and forceful reminder of why alternatives to incarceration are so badly needed. Academic experts and practitioners concur that, if they are to work for women, services and interventions must be 'gender-responsive'. Gender-responsive practice can be divided into five parts: - relational - recognising that women develop self-worth through their relationships with others and are motivated by their connections with other people - strengths-based - using each woman's individual strengths to develop empowered decisions - trauma-informed - recognising the ways in which histories of trauma and abuse impact upon a woman's involvement in the criminal justice system - holistic - providing a comprehensive model that addresses the multiple and complex needs of women offenders - culturally-informed - services recognise and respond to the diverse cultural backgrounds of women offenders. The information provided about the different programmes and services profiled in this report is organised thematically, as is evident from the chapter headings. The same service may be described under more than one heading where it provides for a range of needs or different groups. This is indicated by a cross reference at the beginning of a project. All the material is extensively referenced, enabling the reader to investigate particular projects further. Details: London: PRT, 2015. 65p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 5, 2016 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/portals/0/documents/international%20good%20practice%20final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/portals/0/documents/international%20good%20practice%20final.pdf Shelf Number: 138114 Keywords: Alternatives to incarcerationChildren of PrisonersFemale OffendersGender Specific ResponsesGender-Based Programs |
Author: Duda, Janelle Title: Evaluation of Judicial Process Commission's Women's Re-entry Project Summary: The Women's Re-entry Program out of Rochester, New York serves pregnant women and mothers of young children coming out of jail. The program began enrolling women into services in March 2010 and ran through April 2012. While the program ended in April 2012, some components of the program continue through to the present. Rochester, New York has a population of 210,565, of which 42% of the population is Black or African American and 16% is of Hispanic or Latino descent (US Census, 2010). Rochester is faced with issues similar to those of urban areas across the nation. Issues such as high rates of criminal justice supervision, vacant housing, teen pregnancy and low graduation rates plague the City of Rochester. Further, 38% of children under the age of 12 live in poverty in Rochester, making it ranked the 11th highest city in the nation for child poverty (Children's Agenda, n.d.). Monroe County receives about 6,000 men and women returning from federal, state and local incarceration yearly (Judicial Process Commission, personal communication, June 17, 2013). This program receives participants mostly from the Monroe Correctional Facility (MCF), located in Brighton New York, which houses 475 sentenced inmates. The Monroe County Jail (MCJ) is a pre-trial detention facility located in Rochester, which houses about 1,000 inmates, only a few of which have been sentenced. While the annual jail population is about 14,000 total, on any given day, the two facilities house about 1,400 inmates. Of the 14,000 held, about one third was sentenced. In 2010, there were 2,580 women incarcerated, of which 876 were sentenced (19% of the total sentenced population). A daily average of 45 sentenced females was in the MCF/MCJ in 2010. This program works exclusively with a population which has historically been ignored in the criminal justice system: females. Female offenders are an extremely vulnerable population (Kubiak, Young, Siefert, & Stewart, 2004; Schroeder & Bell, 2005; Knight & Plugge, 2005; Wiewel & Mosley, 2006). This program sought to work closely with this at risk population in order to provide intensive case management services that would position the participants to make informed life decisions, while being supported in the process. Details: Rochester, NY: Rochester Institute of Technology, Center for Public Safety Initiatives, 2013. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 11, 2016 at: https://www.rit.edu/cla/criminaljustice/sites/rit.edu.cla.criminaljustice/files/docs/WorkingPapers/2013/2013-08.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://www.rit.edu/cla/criminaljustice/sites/rit.edu.cla.criminaljustice/files/docs/WorkingPapers/2013/2013-08.pdf Shelf Number: 138624 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale OffendersPrison Reentry |
Author: Kramer, Katie Title: Children, Parents, and Incarceration: Descriptive Overview of Data from Alameda and San Francisco County Jails Summary: In Fall 2014, the Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (ACCIPP) and the San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (SFCIPP) worked in partnership with their respective Sheriffs' Departments to survey more than 2,000 individuals incarcerated within the local county jails. The focus of the survey was to identify whom within the jails is a parent, their perceptions of how their incarceration affects their children, and what types of resources are needed for children to maintain contact and relationships with their parents during their parents' incarceration and after release. This report presents the findings from these surveys. Details: San Francisco: Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnerhsip & San Francisco Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership, 2016. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2016 at: http://sfgov.org/sfreentry/sites/default/files/Documents/CIP%20Jail%20Survey%20-%20Full%20Report%20FINAL%203%2015%2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://sfgov.org/sfreentry/sites/default/files/Documents/CIP%20Jail%20Survey%20-%20Full%20Report%20FINAL%203%2015%2016.pdf Shelf Number: 138837 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesParenting |
Author: Paddick, Sarah Title: Women and Children in Prisons: Accommodation Study Summary: In Australia it is current government policy in all States to allow certain female prisoners to keep their children with them in prison during their sentences. The maximum age of the children and the specific profile of the mother varies from state to state but the intent and philosophy is the same - that in certain situations it is the 'best' option for both mother and child. Whether it is in the best interests of the child is generally determined by a recognised independent children's authority, through an assessment process. This report does not discuss or question this position in detail. There is a brief summary of some supporting arguments and studies that do so, and this will hopefully direct the reader to further areas of research and discussion. Instead I examine how mothers and children are accommodated within a correctional environment both in Australia and in other countries around the world, with a particular focus on the architecture of each facility I visited during the duration of my scholarship. I also highlight the ways in which relationships between mothers and children can be maintained if cohabitation within the correctional facility is not possible i.e. in the instance of older children, or where a mother's or child's particular circumstances do not allow it to occur. Details: Adelaide: Government of South Australia, 2011. 175p. Source: Internet Resource: Catherine Helen Spence Memorial scholarship 2010/11: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/7422/MothersAndBabiesInPrisonAccommodationStudy2010-2011WebVersion.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/7422/MothersAndBabiesInPrisonAccommodationStudy2010-2011WebVersion.pdf Shelf Number: 138932 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners |
Author: Robins, Libby Title: Mother and Baby Prison Units: An Investigative Study Summary: During the period July through to early September 2011, as director of Family Help Trust (FHT) Christchurch and in my capacity as a Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient, I visited six female prisons in the United States of America and four in the United Kingdom. Time spent in each facility varied from two hours in Bedford Hills, New York, through to three days in Coffee Creek, Portland Oregon. In addition, I met with three researchers, (New York, Maryland and Nebraska) and four not for profit organisations (three in New York and one in Stirling, Scotland). I interviewed 25 female offenders, a mixture of currently incarcerated and previously incarcerated, and over 20 staff members between all the prison facilities. The purpose of this investigative research was to bring back information that would benefit a range of agencies including: New Zealand government policy makers, members of parliament, the New Zealand Department of Corrections, the New Zealand Women's Prison Service, researchers, Family Help Trust (FHT), Child Youth and Family (CYF), the Families Commission, the Commission for Children and all New Zealand community agencies involved with the offending population. In 2008 new legislation was passed that allowed infants to remain in two of the three New Zealand prison nurseries until they were two years old (Auckland and Christchurch). The remaining prison (Wellington) was not included in this legislation and is only able to accommodate infants until they are nine months old. Two of the self-care houses at Christchurch Women's Prison (CWP) were 'toddler proofed' and two mother and baby houses were built at Auckland's new women's facility in Wiri in 2011. These units were officially opened by the then Minister of Corrections, Hon Judith Collins, in September 2011. Key points and findings that have emerged from this investigative research are: - New Zealand has been progressive in the style of accommodation provided to mothers and their infants. This models a self-contained motel unit or a small flat or house in the community. - There was only one prison (Cornton Vale's independent living units), that allowed mothers to accompany their infants on outings outside the prison gates. In contrast, New Zealand women's prisons have made significant efforts to normalise the children's experiences as much as possible and both infants and their mothers visit community facilities beyond the wire The evidence available concerning the reductions in reoffending for mothers having benefitted from prison nurseries, when compared to mothers from the general prison population who were not able to keep their infants with them, is compelling, particularly in the United States. Nebraska Women's Facility and Bedford Hills, New York are the two prisons that stood out for their efforts to provide research evidence. It is imperative that New Zealand keeps good data on all mothers who reside and are then released from our mother and baby prison units. This data needs to include community outcomes, albeit this could be considered outside the responsibility of the Department of Corrections for those inmate mothers who are released without parole conditions. New Zealand, because of its size, is in a unique position to research the post-release outcomes for these mothers, and provide comparative research that could include a control group. Using randomisation would, in my opinion, be inappropriate, unless it was mothers who had not been able to reside in nurseries due to lack of capacity. It is important that the issue of community outcomes beyond the reach of Corrections' jurisdiction is addressed to ensure that such information is available for research purposes. In the United States there was no scope to cross-match data interstate and in the United Kingdom there was no research was currently being undertaken on this issue. The only figures I was able to obtain were prison by prison, and data collection methods varied hugely. For mothers without any family support, the concept of trained voluntary doulas (birth companions) is worth considering in New Zealand. Doulas were used comprehensively in both the United States and the United Kingdom and were highly valued by inmate mothers. International mother and baby prison nursery facilities I visited have the throughput that allows them to provide extensive childcare facilities staffed by professional early childhood educators while mothers attend programmes or work within the prison. While New Zealands efforts to provide similar is clearly limited by a much smaller number of pregnant inmates, given the gradual rise in female incarceration in New Zealand, together with current harder line sentencing laws, some future proofing needs to be considered. Improving New Zealand prison visiting areas and making them more child friendly such as I found in Bedford Hills and Cornton Vale, would have huge benefits for improving inmate relationships with their children. While support for breastfeeding mothers in the prisons I visited was considered important, mothers being expected to return to their work duties as early as six weeks post-birth did seem out of line with breastfeeding recommendations and maternity protection. Exclusive breastfeeding is generally recommended for six months after birth, and then a continuation of breastfeeding for up to two years or longer if desired, along with suitable complimentary foods. Support for breastfeeding is essential as breastfeeding 'success' for this vulnerable population makes a significant positive contribution to maternal and infant well-being and health, both short and long-term, and to maternal bonding and secure infant attachment. While attempts to limit smoking around pregnant mothers and infants were made in both the United Kingdom and United States mother and infant units, all allowed smoking to some degree. It is of particular interest that as of 1 June 2011, when the New Zealand ban on smoking in prison came into effect, there has been no unrest or riots as might have been expected and which was a significant concern to those prisons I visited. Judges in some states in America routinely sentence a pregnant woman to 366 days in a state prison, allowing her to potentially keep her infant with her in a nursery. A sentence of less than 366 days in a city jail with no nursery will lead to an automatic separation once the infant is born. A prison nursery affords a unique opportunity for a recidivist offending pregnant woman to raise her infant in a 'safe and secure' environment away from her complex and generally violent life in the community. In addition, she receives intensive and ongoing support and parent education that will assist her to attain a secure attachment to her infant, so reducing the probability of further prison terms and her children being removed and raised by the state sector. In the absence of mother and infant alternatives to prison residential facilities, and depending on the seriousness of offending, this option is worthy of serious consideration by the New Zealand judiciary. Bedford Hills New York not only has extensive programmes for both mothers and their infants, but also mothers estranged from older children. In addition, the supported accommodation, employment assistance and general through service given by the Hour Children Charity offered an outstanding opportunity for recidivist women to reverse the probable negative trajectory for both themselves and their children. Nebraska also went to considerable effort to assist mothers estranged from their children with the five nights a month option in the prison nursery as well as the early childhood visiting facilities and playground facilities. in New Zealand, in spite of the problem of whether responsibility lies with the Department of Corrections or Child Youth and Family, the issue of support for mothers and their infants post-release needs to be addressed. This is central to whether or not prison nurseries, both now and in the future, are considered cost effective and can contribute significantly to reducing reoffending. The New Zealand government's view (then Minister of Corrections Hon Judith Collins) when the new units at Christchurch and Auckland Women's Prisons were officially opened in September 2011 was "this is money well spent if it stops the babies becoming criminals". I contend that equal effort and expenditure is essential in the community if recidivism among these mothers is to be successfully reduced. The recently published (April 2012) Commission on Women's Offending (Dame Elish Angiolini commissioned by the Scottish government) makes some important recommendations concerning the establishment of 'one stop shop' community facilities that have both residential beds and day centre programmes for low risk repeat female offenders. The purpose is to address their criminality, mental health and trauma issues as well as alcohol and drug addictions. While there are some residential centres in New Zealand they tend to have limited places and limited resources and they have a single focus e.g. drug and alcohol treatment. Such centres, so long as they catered for children as well, could provide the all-important through centre concept for mothers and their infants from the mother and baby prison units. Dame Elish Angiolini's report was in response to the doubling of the Scottish female rates of incarceration over the previous ten years, now having reached a number very similar to that found in New Zealand. It highlights that in a single year up to 30,000 children will have had a mother or father behind bars, 30 per cent of whom will develop physical and mental health problems and up to half will themselves go on to offend. The cost effectiveness of establishing residential and non-residential centres for female offenders in preference to imprisonment is obvious when compared to the cost of female prison cells in New Zealand. Such centres, together with the through care concept for mothers and their infants returning to the community from the mother and baby units in our female prisons, have the potential to reduce recidivism and ensure better outcomes for mothers, children and families. Details: Wellington: New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 2012. 167p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: www.communitymatters.govt.nz Year: 2012 Country: International URL: www.communitymatters.govt.nz Shelf Number: 138933 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersFemale PrisonsPrison Nurseries |
Author: Whiteacre, Kevin Title: Assessing Outcomes for Wee Ones Nursery at the Indiana Women's Prison Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess different outcomes from participating in the Indiana Women's Prison Wee Ones Nursery (WON) program. We compared recidivism rates between women participating in WON (n=90) and women who gave birth while in prison prior to WON (i.e., before 2008) but who would likely have been eligible (n=98). We also conducted follow-up qualitative interviews with a sample of WON participants (n=15) and pre-WON women (n=12). The interviews included open-ended questions as well as a brief survey with closed-ended items comprised of previously validated scales. Based on the findings, we conclude with some possible directions for the future of WON. The study tested four specific hypotheses: H1: WON participants will have lower recidivism rates than women who gave birth in IWP prior to WON. H2: WON participants are more likely to have custody of their child delivered in prison than the control group. H3: WON participants will report greater attachment to their child than the control group. H4: WON participants will report greater parenting self-esteem than the control group. Details: Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis, Community Research Center, 2013. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: http://www.uindy.edu/documents/Assessing_Outcomes_for_Wee_Ones_Nursery_at_Indiana_Womens_Prison.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.uindy.edu/documents/Assessing_Outcomes_for_Wee_Ones_Nursery_at_Indiana_Womens_Prison.pdf Shelf Number: 138934 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersFemale PrisonsPrison Nurseries |
Author: Lindquist, Christine Title: Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering: Change in Father-Child Relationships Before, During and After Incarceration Summary: Understanding what supports strong relationships formerly incarcerated men and their children could have an impact on individual, interpersonal, and community safety and well-being. The information in this research brief is drawn from a couples-based longitudinal study of families affected by incarceration, focusing on 772 fathers who were incarcerated at the beginning of the study and released prior to the completion of the final study interviews. This brief examines several aspects of the fathers' relationships with their children after their release from incarceration, including fathers' residential arrangements and financial support for their focal children and dimensions of the quality of the relationships the fathers reported having with their children after their release. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/Office of Human Services Policy, 2016. 449p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Brief: Accessed May 16, 2016 at: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/257881/MFSIPImpactReport.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/257881/MFSIPImpactReport.pdf Shelf Number: 139048 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesParentingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Wicklund, Peter Title: Lamoille Restorative Center: Resilience Beyond Incarceration Program Outcome Evaluation: Final Report Summary: The Resilience Beyond Incarceration program (RBIP) is a program within the Lamoille Restorative Center, which operates as a non-profit, community-based agency located in Hyde Park, Vermont, serving the Lamoille Valley region. The Resilience Beyond Incarceration Program was formerly called the Community Justice Project (CJP). The earlier evaluations will refer to the CJP. The RBIP is a prevention program for children of incarcerated parents. The RBIP's primary goal is to prevent children from becoming involved in the criminal justice system as young adults. The RBIP works to mitigate the trauma associated with parental incarceration and reduce the adverse effects on children. Previous outcome evaluations of the RBIP were conducted in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and were based on adult criminal history records from the Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC). For the 2015 study, in addition to the VCIC adult records, for the first time juvenile criminal records were made available for the RBIP participants through the Courts Administrator's Office (CAO). The following section provides an overview of the previous outcome evaluations through 2014, and includes additional summaries of the RBIP participants' juvenile criminal activities during this time period. Details: Montpelier, VT: Crime Research Group, 2016. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: http://www.crgvt.org/uploads/5/2/2/2/52222091/lrc_-_rbi_outcome_evaluation_report_november_2015rev.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.crgvt.org/uploads/5/2/2/2/52222091/lrc_-_rbi_outcome_evaluation_report_november_2015rev.pdf Shelf Number: 140414 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCommunity-Based ProgramsFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Masson, Isla MacMarquis Title: The long-term impact of short periods of imprisonment on mothers Summary: This research examines how even an initial short period in prison negatively impacts mothers and their children. It involves a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 mothers during and post-custody; looking at the different ways in which multiple aspects of their lives are negatively affected for longer periods than their incarceration. It is argued that prison often increases the social disadvantages that many of the women encounter on a day-to-day basis. Based on this research it is suggested that the morally significant harms of prison need to be considered at the time of sentencing. Incarceration is not just about a temporary loss of liberty, even short terms in prison have longer multi-dimensional consequences. The thesis will begin by looking at the use of remand for women as well as examining the sentencing rationales for the use of short sentences. It will explore the problems with these forms of punishment, particularly for non-violent, and often vulnerable, women. It will be argued that these women experience multiple pains of incarceration, often compounded by the short period in which they are imprisoned. It will be suggested that their feelings of injustice may affect whether they are able to embrace any opportunities in prison and address feelings of guilt. The thesis will also examine these mothers' experiences post-custody, describing which problems are on-going, which are resolved and what new unexpected problems arise. Given that they are mothers, their understanding of the harm of the separation to their children will also be explored. It will be concluded that the punishment should be balanced against the rights of mothers and their children. As such the use of short sentences for women should be significantly reduced, however if they continue to be used there need to be a series of changes to minimise the harms caused to this group. Details: London: King's College London, 2014. 278p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 14, 2016 at: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/40829056/2014_Masson_Isla_0945442_ethesis.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/40829056/2014_Masson_Isla_0945442_ethesis.pdf Shelf Number: 144806 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale Prisoners |
Author: Glosser, Asaph Title: Simplify, Notify, Modify: Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Incarcerated Parents' Requests for Child Support Modification Summary: This report describes a collaboration between the Washington State Division of Child Support and the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) research team that aimed to increase the number of incarcerated noncustodial parents in Washington who applied for modifications to reduce the amount of their child support orders. The interventions resulted in a: 32 percentage point increase in the number of parents requesting a modification; and a 16 percentage point increase in the number of incarcerated parents receiving a modification to their child support orders within three months. The BIAS team diagnosed bottlenecks in the process for applying for modifications, hypothesized behavioral reasons for the bottlenecks, and designed a sequence of behaviorally informed materials sent to incarcerated parents. These materials provided parents with a series of supports to make them aware that they may be eligible for an order modification and to move them to action. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: OPRE Report 2016-43: Accessed November 7, 2016 at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/bias_wa_acf_b508_2.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/bias_wa_acf_b508_2.pdf Shelf Number: 145305 Keywords: Child SupportChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFamilies of Prisoners |
Author: Oregon. Department of Corrections, Research & Evaluation Title: Department of Corrections (DOC) Family Visitation Study Summary: Incarceration limits interaction between inmates and their families. These families often provide housing and employment opportunities for inmates leaving prison. Most research at the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) has been focused on inmates and less research has been conducted on inmate families and the interaction between the inmate and their families. Furthermore, knowledge about DOC’s ability to maintain family associations and DOC’s ability to provide beneficial visitations is limited. Many inmates become dependent on their families while incarcerated. Visits, financial support, and telephone usage are important to inmates, and many rely on family members for personal items and/or materials. Visits may also be the only contact between the inmate and his/her children. The Family Visitation Survey was developed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current DOC visiting system from the visitor’s perspective. DOC researchers visited all institutions and surveyed family members during and after visits. Differences among institutions will be recognized in this report. The Family Visitation Survey includes questions around the following areas: · Facility services · Transportation (distance traveled by family and friends) · Customer service of staff · Agency related Information · Phone and mail systems · Visiting alternatives · Children Details: Salem, OR: The Department, 2009. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 11, 2016 at: https://www.oregon.gov/doc/RESRCH/docs/visitation_study_200910.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://www.oregon.gov/doc/RESRCH/docs/visitation_study_200910.pdf Shelf Number: 147320 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesVisitation |
Author: White, Jordyn Title: Improving Collection of Indicators of Criminal Justice System System Involvement in Population Health Data Programs: Proceedings of a Workshop Summary: In the U.S. criminal justice system in 2014, an estimated 2.2 million people were in incarcerated or under correctional supervision on any given day, and another 4.7 million were under community supervision, such as probation or parole. Among all U.S. adults, 1 in 31 is involved with the criminal justice system, many of them having had recurring encounters. The ability to measure the effects of criminal justice involvement and incarceration on health and health disparities has been a challenge, due largely to limited and inconsistent measures on criminal justice involvement and any data on incarceration in health data collections. The presence of a myriad of confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status and childhood disadvantage, also makes it hard to isolate and identify a causal relationship between criminal justice involvement and health. The Bureau of Justice Statistics collects periodic health data on the people who are incarcerated at any given time, but few national-level surveys have captured criminal justice system involvement for people previously involved in the system or those under community supervision—nor have they collected systematic data on the effects that go beyond the incarcerated individuals themselves. In March 2016 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop meant to assist the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and Office of the Minority Health (OMH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in identifying measures of criminal justice involvement that will further their understanding of the socioeconomic determinants of health. Participants investigated the feasibility of collecting criminal justice experience data with national household-based health surveys. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. Details: Washington, DC: national Academies Press, 2016. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 20, 2016 at: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24633/improving-collection-of-indicators-of-criminal-justice-system-involvement-in-population-health-data-programs Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24633/improving-collection-of-indicators-of-criminal-justice-system-involvement-in-population-health-data-programs Shelf Number: 147785 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesHealth Care Mental HealthSocioeconomic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Bradshaw, Daragh Title: "Family Links": Evaluation Report Summary: 1. Introduction In partnership with the Irish Prison Service, the Parents Plus Charity, Bedford Row Family Agency and the Irish Penal Reform Trust, the Childhood Development Initiative commenced the implementation of "Family Links", a system of formal and informal supports for fathers in Limerick prison and their families. Within funding from the Katherine Howard Foundation (KHF) and the Community Foundation of Ireland (CFI), these supports, here called the Family Links Initiative, can be taken to mark a sea-change in the way in which the Prison Service views and hopes to work with families affected by imprisonment. These supports include: Changes in visiting arrangements Parenting education for families Officer Training in communication and child protection issues Designated Family Liaison Officer's (FLO's) amongst prison officers. The following report is an evaluation of the pilot of the intervention implemented in Limerick Prison from October 2014 to March 2016. Details: Dublin: Childhood Development Initiative, 2017. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed march 6, 2017 at: http://edepositireland.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/79560/Final_Family_Links_Evaluation_Report_January_2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2017 Country: Ireland URL: http://edepositireland.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/79560/Final_Family_Links_Evaluation_Report_January_2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 141357 Keywords: Child ProtectionChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFamily Engagement |
Author: Scott, Mindy E. Title: An Experimental Evaluation of a Family Strengthening Intervention to Enhance Post-release Adjustment for Reentering Fathers and Improve Child Well-Being Summary: In 2009, the National Institute of Justice awarded Child Trends a grant to conduct an experimental evaluation of the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP) for fathers returning from prison. The SFP is a seven-session intervention aimed at improving family relationships, parenting skills, and social and life skills among youth ages 10 to 14, and has been found to be effective among low-income families. However, this intervention has not been evaluated with a reentering population. The current evaluation focused on assessing the impact of adding a family-focused intervention to existing reentry services for fathers residing in the Midwestern part of the United States that traditionally focus on job training and economic stability. Paternal incarceration has been found to have negative consequences for children at all developmental stages, resulting in negative emotional and behavioral functioning with implications for long-term well-being and achievement, as well as a higher risk of criminality. Despite growing evidence of the negative implications of parental incarceration for both children and parents and the challenges associated with prisoner reentry, few family-focused reentry programs have been rigorously evaluated. This study addresses this important gap in the scientific knowledge by testing the impacts of a family strengthening intervention for reentering fathers and their children. This report presents key findings from the evaluation including information on the demographics of the families in the program, the program's implementation and effectiveness, and recommendations for improving future family strengthening programs for reentering fathers and their families. Details: Final report submitted to the National Institute of Justice, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 7, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250568.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250568.pdf Shelf Number: 146412 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFamily ProgramsParenting Programs Prisoner Reentry |
Author: Haskins, Anna R. Title: Schools as Surveilling Institutions? Paternal Incarceration, System Avoidance, and Parental Involvement in Schooling Summary: Parents play important roles in their children's lives, and parental involvement in elementary schooling in particular is meaningful for a range of child outcomes. Given the increasing number of school-aged children with incarcerated parents, this study explores the ways paternal incarceration is associated with mothers' and fathers' reports of home- and school-based involvement in schooling. Using Fragile Families Study data, findings suggest that a father's incarceration inhibits his school- and home-based involvement in schooling, while associations for maternal involvement are weaker. Results are robust to alternative specifications of incarceration that address concerns about selection and unobserved heterogeneity. Findings also hold when teachers' reports are substituted, and across levels of father-child contact. Lastly, a test of the system avoidance mechanism is conducted, and results suggest it partially explains reductions in school involvement for fathers following incarceration. Given the reoccurring interest in the interconnection between families and schools and how this translates into success, this study suggests that paternal incarceration is associated with lower parental involvement in schooling and highlights the role of system avoidance in this association. Attachment to social institutions like schools is quite consequential, and this work highlights another way mass incarceration influences social life in the US. Details: Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Department of Sociology, 2017. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Fragile Families Working Paper WP17-02-FF: Accessed April 12, 2017 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP17-02-FF.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP17-02-FF.pdf Shelf Number: 144816 Keywords: Children of PrisonersEducationFamilies of InmatesParenting |
Author: Nelson-Dusek, Stephanie Title: Look Up and Hope: Final Evaluation Report Summary: Since its founding in 1896, Volunteers of America has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable populations, including those returning from prison. The past several decades have seen a particularly staggering rise in the growth of mothers affected by incarceration. Between 1991 and midyear 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that the number of mothers in federal and state prisons had increased 122 percent. During the same period, the number of children with mothers in prison had more than doubled, rising to almost 150,000 children nationwide. To address this issue, Volunteers of America launched Look Up and Hope, an innovative initiative that works with the whole family - mother, caregiver, and child - to improve the lives of those affected by maternal incarceration. Over the past five years, Wilder Research has evaluated Look Up and Hope to determine the impact that the program has on families. This final evaluation report illustrates the successes and challenges of those participating in the program. Successes - Strengthened families: After participating in Look Up and Hope, families appear to have stronger connections - meaning increased quantity and quality of contact between mothers, children, and caregivers. For example, 61 percent of children were either living with their mother or had increased contact with her, and 60 percent were reported to have an improved relationship with their mother. - Positive school outcomes: The majority of school-aged children (6+ years old) either increased or maintained their grades, attendance, and behavior. Most prominently, nearly four in ten (37%) children had improved their grade point average by their follow-up assessment, according to family coaches. - Healthy children and caregivers: Overall, the children and caregivers served by the program were relatively healthy. The majority of children (61%) were reported to be in good health at both their baseline and follow-up assessments, and family coaches assessed nearly all children (94%) and caregivers (93%) to have their basic needs met. - Improved parenting skills: Nearly all (97%) of the mothers who received parenting education or training showed improved knowledge of parenting skills. - Improved employment status for mothers: The majority of mothers with available follow-up data experienced a change in employment status from baseline to follow-up. For those who did, over four in ten went from unemployment to either full-time or part-time employment. In addition to the annual report, Wilder Research conducted a Social Return on Investment (SROI) study to estimate some of the potential long-term cost savings that the Look Up and Hope program could eventually provide to society. The study found that, even if the only benefits the program produced were improved long-term outcomes for some participating children (e.g., avoidance of out-of-home placements and school failures), the net cost savings to society could be as much as $48,495 per child. This represents a potential return on investment of $14.31 for every dollar invested. The full SROI (including the limitations of the analysis) is appended. Details: St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2016. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 28, 2017 at: https://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Strengthening%20Families%20Impacted%20by%20Incarceration%20-%20Evaluation%20of%20Volunteers%20of%20America%20Programs/Look%20Up%20and%20Hope%20Final%20Evaluation%20Report,%20Full%20Report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Strengthening%20Families%20Impacted%20by%20Incarceration%20-%20Evaluation%20of%20Volunteers%20of%20America%20Programs/Look%20Up%20and%20Hope%20Final%20Evaluation%20R Shelf Number: 146447 Keywords: Children of PrisonersCost-Benefit AnalysisFamilies of InmatesFemale OffendersParentingPrisoner ReentryVolunteers in criminal Justice |
Author: Farmer, Michael (Lord Farmer) Title: The Importance of Strengthening Prisoners' Family Ties to Prevention Reoffending and Reduce Intergenerational Crime Summary: The Secretary of State commissioned this Review to investigate how supporting men in prison in England and Wales to engage with their families, can reduce reoffending and assist in addressing the intergenerational transmission of crime (a landmark study found that 63% of prisoners' sons went on to offend themselves ) as part of the Government's urgently-needed reform agenda. The Ministry of Justice's own research shows that, for a prisoner who receives visits from a partner or family member, the odds of reoffending are 39% lower than for prisoners who had not received such visits. Supportive relationships with family members and significant others give meaning and all important motivation to other strands of rehabilitation and resettlement activity. As one prisoner told me, 'If I don't see my family I will lose them, if I lose them what have I got left?' Yet the unacceptable inconsistency of work that helps prisoners to maintain and strengthen these relationships across the estate shows it is not yet mainstream in offender management in the same way as employment and education. Family work should always be seen and referred to alongside these two rehabilitation activities as the third leg of the stool that brings stability and structure to prisoners' lives, particularly when they leave prison. That is why the overarching conclusion of my Review is that good family relationships are indispensable for delivering the Government's far-reaching plans across all the areas outlined in their white paper on Prison Safety and Reform, published in November 2016. If prisons are truly to be places of reform, we cannot ignore the reality that a supportive relationship with at least one person is indispensable to a prisoner's ability to get through their sentence well and achieve rehabilitation. It is not only family members who can provide these and, wherever family relationships are mentioned, it should be assumed that other significant and supportive relationships are also inferred. Consistently good family work, which brings men face-to-face with their enduring responsibilities to the family left in the community, is indispensable to the rehabilitation culture we urgently need to develop in our penal system and has to be integral to the changes sought. It helps them forge a new identity for themselves, an important precursor to desistance from crime, based on being a good role model to their children, a caring husband, partner and friend and a reliable provider through legal employment. However, responsibilities are not discharged in a vacuum. Families need to be willing and able to engage with the rehabilitation process, so harnessing the resource of good family relationships must be a golden thread running through the processes of all prisons, as well as in the implementation of all themes of the white paper. Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2017. 112p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 23, 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/636619/farmer-review-report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/636619/farmer-review-report.pdf Shelf Number: 146878 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesIntergenerational CrimePrison VisitsPrisoner RehabilitationRecidivismReoffendingVisitation |
Author: Andersen, Lars Hojsgaard Title: The Impact of Paternal Incarceration on Boys' Delinquency: A New Method for Adjusting for Model-Driven Bias Summary: Existing research is likely to have underestimated the mediating role of confounders, such as abilities, for the association between the delinquency of fathers and sons. Measures of sons' delinquency are often dichotomous, indicating whether a son experiences incarceration, for example, and scholars of criminology often apply nonlinear probability models to analyze such outcomes. But in so doing, we show, scholars involuntarily make their estimates vulnerable to model-driven bias. In this paper, we introduce to scholars of criminology a recent advance in the modeling of nonlinear probability models, the "KHB method", which corrects for model-driven bias. We use data from the NLSY97 to illustrate that existing strategies for estimating the impact of paternal incarceration on son's delinquency when mediating factors are taken into account produce biased estimates, and we use high quality registry data from Denmark to show that this is true even in administrative data and across length of incarceration. We also present and discuss the relationship between delinquency and abilities among sons, by paternal incarceration experience and by country, thereby adding to the burgeoning research on uneven consequences of paternal incarceration for children. Details: Copenhagen: ROCKWOOL Foundation Research Unit, 2017. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Study Paper No. 120: Accessed August 28, 2017 at: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2017/06/STUDY-PAPER-120-the-impact-of-paternal-incarceration-WEB.pdf Year: 2017 Country: International URL: http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/app/uploads/2017/06/STUDY-PAPER-120-the-impact-of-paternal-incarceration-WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 146905 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChildren of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesIntergenerational Transmission |
Author: Mumby, Lauren Title: Prison voicemail: an initial evaluation Summary: The UK prison population currently stands at just under 86,000 (Ministry of Justice, 2017) and the average cost per prisoner is approximately L35,000 per year (Ministry of Justice, 2013). The acknowledged reoffending rate for adults released from custody is 44.1% (Ministry of Justice, 2017b) with reoffending estimated to cost in excess of L80,000 per offender (De Las Casas et al, 2011). In times of austerity, the Ministry of Justice is under pressure to reduce number of prisoners and reduce offending and reoffending. Added to the financial costs, imprisonment is often a traumatic time for those imprisoned, and their families. In 2016, 119 self-inflicted deaths were recorded in prisons in England and Wales, a record high; there were 37,784 incidents of self-harm, an increase of 23% from the previous year (Ministry of Justice 2017c). A significant factor related to suicide and selfharm in custody is family ties. Prisoners who have attempted suicide have been found to miss their families more and to have reduced contact with them (Liebling, 1992). The pains of imprisonment thesis (Sykes, 1958) argues that prison often places significant strain on personal relationships resulting from the physical separation and emotional trauma resulting from, often sudden, separation. A failure to maintain family relationships can lead to increased emotional instability during imprisonment and limited social ties for release (Adams, 1992; Cochran, 2013). This may manifest in further negative behaviours inside prison such as violence and general misconduct (Burnett and Maruna, 2004). Conversely, familial attachments and contact during prison sentences have been reported as crucial for helping people in custody cope with the pressures of prison life, such as the feelings of isolation associated with imprisonment (Agnew, 1992); can contribute towards decreased misconduct whilst in prison (Maruna, 2001); and provide support and hope for release (e.g. Agnew, 1992; Rocque et al, 2013). Family ties provide a sense of belonging, security and happiness (De Las Casas et al, 2011). Desistance literature also reports that there is a vital role in family bonds for reducing reoffending (Sampson and Laub, 1993). More specifically, men who maintained contact with their children during imprisonment, demonstrated improved resettlement outcomes (Visher, 2013). Prisoners who improved their family relationships during their sentence resulted in lower levels of reoffending, higher levels of employment and lower levels of drug use on release than those who did not improve relationships (Brunton-Smith and McCarthy, 2016). Identifying opportunities to maintain and strengthen family relationships while a person is incarcerated may, therefore have a significant contribution to improving safety in prisons, limiting reoffending and aiding resettlement. Families themselves also suffer as a result of imprisonment. Families have to cope with practical, financial and emotional consequences which can subsequently have a further impact on relationships. Loss of income, isolation, relationship deterioration and extra childcare commitments can increase the sense of loss and hopelessness experienced by families (Loucks, 2004; Murray, 2005; Codd, 2007). Loss of income is exacerbated by increased expenditure on visits, telephone calls and sending money to imprisoned relatives (Braman and Wood, 2003). Furthermore, it is estimated that 160,000 children in the UK are affected by parental imprisonment (Social Exclusion Unit, 2007) and they can suffer a range of problems during the incarceration period including depression, aggression, eating problems, sleep problems and school related issues (Boswell et al, 2002). However, increasing family contact is thought to moderate these effects. For example, maintaining family ties has been found to increase the resilience of children (Garmezy and Rutter, 1983). It is clear that maintaining and improving family ties while a person is imprisoned can have a significant impact on both the prisoner and their family with regard to increasing safety, improving resettlement, reducing the effects on the family and ultimately decreasing recidivism. Despite this, prisoners have limited means to keep in contact with their families. They can receive visits but this process is often fraught with challenges for those visiting such as distance to travel to the prison, employment commitments, poor staff attitudes and difficulties in accessing information (Codd, 2007). They can send and receive letters by post or e-mail, if they are sufficiently literate. They can make phone calls, but these are limited to certain times of the day when prisoners are allowed outside their cells, often resulting in queues for the limited number of available phones. The majority of prisoners have no legitimate access to mobile telecommunications and information technology that dominates personal communication in the community (Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, PPO, 2014). While the PPO calls upon all prisons to support family ties while still ensuring security and public protection (PPO, 2014), family and friends are still unable to make a simple telephone call to the imprisoned person. Alongside this, it has been widely publicised that there is decreased staffing and resource levels within UK prisons (e.g. The Howard League, 2016) both of which impact negatively on phone access. Prison Voicemail It is against this backdrop of complex prison challenges that the social start-up, Prison Voicemail, has emerged as a potentially significant moderator for these issues. Details: Lincoln, UK: University of Lincoln, 2017. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 2, 2017 at: http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28301/1/28301%20Prison%20Voicemail%20report%20Final%2031%20July%202017%20for%20PDF.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28301/1/28301%20Prison%20Voicemail%20report%20Final%2031%20July%202017%20for%20PDF.pdf Shelf Number: 147013 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner CommunicationsPrisoners |
Author: McCormick, Amanda V. Title: In the Best Interests of the Child: Strategies for Recognizing and Supporting Canada's At-Risk Population of Children with Incarcerated Parents Summary: Children whose parents are incarcerated have been acknowledged internationally as a vulnerable population facing serious challenges. In 2011, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child convened a Day of General Discussion on Children with Incarcerated Parents during which it was stressed that the best interests of children must be considered throughout the criminal justice system processing of their parent (Robertson, 2012). Although Canada is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children of criminally incarcerated parents are an invisible population in Canada. As official statistics do not appear to be consistently collected in Canada, the size of this at-risk population is currently unknown. However, given an increasing rate of pre-trial detention and incarceration of women, Aboriginal people, and foreign-born persons in Canada (Babooram, 2008; Sapers, 2013), many of whom are parents, the size of the affected population of children is likely growing. This report is the result of a project assessing the available policies, programs, and practices concerning children with incarcerated parents. The information collected for this report was largely collated from literature reviews, as well as consultations conducted with government and nongovernmental agencies across Canada. In addition, feedback gathered from a day-long expert working group on children with incarcerated parents conducted by the UFV Centre for Safety Schools and Communities in December 2013 was integrated into the final report. Details: Abbotsford, BC: Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research, University of the Fraser Valley, 2015. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 4, 2017 at: https://cjr.ufv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Children-with-Incarcerated-Parents_Amended.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: https://cjr.ufv.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Children-with-Incarcerated-Parents_Amended.pdf Shelf Number: 148038 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates |
Author: Human Impact Partners Title: Keeping Kids and Parents Together: A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Massachusetts Summary: More than 800,000 parents are incarcerated across the US - a common practice that tears families apart, hurts children, and harms the health of entire communities. In this report, we evaluate the health and equity impacts of Massachusetts Senate Bill S770. If passed, this bill would expand the ability to set community-based sentences for parents. Community-based sentencing is a healthier and fiscally responsible alternative. The benefits of allowing incarcerated parents to stay with or have more contact with their children are tremendous. Parents are more likely to succeed at treatment for substance use disorders and less likely to return to prison. By staying connected with their parents, children have the opportunity to experience healthy development and attachment, which contributes to good mental health and fewer behavioral issues. Community-based sentencing also decreases costs to prisons and jails and keeps parents connected to the workforce. Youth of color are more likely to experience their parent getting locked up. As a result of the racial inequities in the criminal legal system in the US, Black children are nine times more likely and Latinx children are three times more likely than White children to have a parent in prison. Kids with incarcerated parents are at risk of facing a variety of physical, mental, and behavioral health issues throughout the rest of their lives as a direct result of separation from their parent due to incarceration. In fact, this type of child-parent separation is classified as a specific type of trauma: an adverse childhood experience (ACE). Across Massachusetts, about 5,665 children are separated from a parent due to incarceration. Mothers and grandmothers bear the burden at home. When a father is incarcerated, his children's mother remains as the primary caretaker 90% of the time. When a mother is incarcerated, her children are often displaced from their homes and frequently placed in the care of their grandmother. In both of these situations, mothers and grandmothers face the additional financial burden and emotional toll of a single parent home. Details: Oakland, CA: Human Impact Partners, 2017. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 10, 2017 at: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/KeepingMAKidsParentsTogetherHealthier_2017.09.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/KeepingMAKidsParentsTogetherHealthier_2017.09.pdf Shelf Number: 148134 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationChildren of PrisonersCommunity-Based SentencingFamilies of InmatesFamily Engagement |
Author: Bhuller, Manudeep Title: Intergenerational Effects of Incarceration Summary: An often overlooked population in discussions of prison reform is the children of inmates. How a child is affected depends both on what incarceration does to their parent and what they learn from their parent's experience. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we exploit the random assignment of judges who differ in their propensity to send defendants to prison. Using longitudinal data for Norway, we find that imprisonment has no effect on fathers' recidivism but reduces their employment by 20 percentage points. We find no evidence that paternal incarceration affects a child's criminal activity or school performance. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2018. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper No. 24227: Accessed January 22, 2018 at: http://www.nber.org/papers/w24227 Year: 2018 Country: Norway URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w24227 Shelf Number: 148903 Keywords: children of PrisonersEmploymentIntergenerational Crime |
Author: Western, Bruce Title: Formerly-Incarcerated Parents and their Children Summary: The negative effects of incarceration on child well-being are often linked to the economic insecurity of formerly incarcerated parents. Researchers caution, however, that the effects of parental incarceration may be small in the presence of multiple partner fertility and other family complexity. Despite these claims, few studies directly observe either economic insecurity or the full extent of family complexity. We study parent-child relationships with a unique data set that includes detailed information about economic insecurity and family complexity among parents just released from prison. We find that stable private housing, more than income, is associated with close and regular contact between parents and children. Formerly-incarcerated parents are less likely to regularly see their children in contexts of multiple partner fertility and in the absence of supportive family relationships. Significant housing and family effects are estimated even after controlling for drug use and crime which are themselves negatively related to parental contact. The findings point to the constraints of material insecurity and family complexity on the social support provided by formerly incarcerated parents to their children. Details: Cambridge, MA: Department of Sociology, Harvard University, 2017. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2018 at: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/formerly-incarcerated_parents_and_their_children.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/brucewestern/files/formerly-incarcerated_parents_and_their_children.pdf Shelf Number: 149070 Keywords: Child WelfareChildren of PrisonersEx-OffendersFamilies of InmatesPrisoner Reentry |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska Title: Let Down and Locked Up: Nebraska Women in Prison Summary: Nebraska's criminal justice policies have created a system of mass incarceration. This hurts our communities and disproportionately impacts low income families and people of color. Existing conditions violate the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment and do not provide for meaningful transition back into our communities and our economy. The ACLU is leading the way to rethink and reform these policies and conditions though our campaign for Smart Justice to protect individual rights, reduce the taxpayer burden, and make our communities safer. This investigation looks at one component of the Nebraska prison system: women in state prison. Nationwide, the number of women in prison and jails is increasing. As the population of women in custody increases, the dynamic of accommodating this growing prison population is changing. This presents unique challenges for governments to house, rehabilitate, and transition women back to their communities. Women in the criminal justice system face different challenges than men and the population of female prisoners also have different needs which prison officials must accommodate. Increasing incarceration rates for women has a more profound effect on others outside the prison walls. A high percentage of women who are locked up are mothers, and most of these women are the primary caretakers of minor children. These children are especially susceptible to the negative impacts and burdens of incarceration. Existing "tough on crime" policies, particularly around punitive drug policies, have failed to achieve public safety while putting an unprecedented number of people behind bars and eroding constitutional rights. This system also erodes economic opportunity, family stability, and civic engagement during and after incarceration. In many instances, a criminal record becomes a life-long barrier to accessing basic human needs and ensuring individual and family stability. The Nebraska prison system is severely overcrowded and has been in a state of ongoing and varying degrees of crisis for the last several years. This system has triggered considerable focus and debate over all components of the criminal justice process, from appropriate penalties and the sorts of offenders entering the prison system to the conditions of the state's overcrowded prisons to meaningful re-entry opportunities for those who leave prison. This investigation looks at one component of the Nebraska prison system: women in state prison. Nationwide, the number of women in prison and jails is increasing. As the population of women in custody increases, the dynamic of accommodating this growing prison population is changing. This presents unique challenges for governments to house, rehabilitate, and transition women back to their communities. Women in the criminal justice system face different challenges than men and the population of female prisoners also have different needs which prison officials must accommodate. Increasing incarceration rates for women has a more profound effect on others outside the prison walls. A high percentage of women who are locked up are mothers, and most of these women are the primary caretakers of minor children. These children are especially susceptible to the negative impacts and burdens of incarceration. Details: Lincoln: ACLU of Nebraska, 2017. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2018 at: https://www.aclunebraska.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/women_in_prison_2017_10.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclunebraska.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/women_in_prison_2017_10.pdf Shelf Number: 149110 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates Female Inmates Female Offenders Female Prisoners Mass Incarceration Women Prisoners |
Author: Human Impact Partners Title: Keeping Kids and Parents Together: A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Tennessee Summary: More than 800,000 parents are incarcerated across the US - a common practice that tears families apart, hurts children, and harms the health of entire communities. In this report, we evaluate the health and equity impacts of Tennessee House Bill 0825 and Senate Bill 0919. If passed, these bills would expand the ability to set community-based sentences for parents. Community-based sentencing is a healthier and fiscally responsible alternative. The benefits of allowing incarcerated parents to stay with or have more contact with their children are tremendous. Parents are more likely to succeed at treatment for substance use disorders and less likely to return to prison. By staying connected with their parents, children have the opportunity to experience healthy development and attachment, which contributes to good mental health and fewer behavioral issues. Community-based sentencing also decreases costs to prisons and jails and keeps parents connected to the workforce. Youth of color are more likely to experience their parent getting locked up. As a result of the racial inequities in the criminal legal system in the US, Black children are nine times more likely and Latino/a children are three times more likely than White children to have a parent in prison. Kids with incarcerated parents are at risk of facing a variety of physical, mental, and behavioral health issues throughout the rest of their lives as a direct result of separation from their parent due to incarceration. In fact, this type of child-parent separation is classified as a specific type of trauma: an adverse childhood experience (ACE). Across Tennessee, about 19,198 children are separated from a parent due to incarceration. In Tennessee, about 1 of every 10 children has had an incarcerated parent. Mothers and grandmothers bear the burden at home. When a father is incarcerated, his children's mother remains as the primary caregiver 90% of the time. When a mother is incarcerated, her children are often displaced from their homes and frequently placed in the care of their grandmother. In both of these situations, mothers and grandmothers face the additional financial burden and emotional toll of a single parent home. Incarceration is harmful to individual and community health. Prison and jail environments are not conducive to family visits. In addition, most mothers and fathers in state and federal prisons are held over 100 miles from their homes, creating significant barriers for kids to visit their parents. Incarcerated parents who aren't able to maintain a connection with their children are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, be re-incarcerated, and lose parental rights. In communities targeted by mass incarceration, the loss of working adults and parents to jails and prisons fuels the cycle of poverty without reducing crime or increasing public safety. Alternative sentencing holds parents accountable and keeps families together. Research shows that community-based sentencing creates a supportive environment where parents can heal and be held accountable for the consequences of their conviction - while staying with or near their kids. These sentencing alternatives can also properly address substance use, mental health issues, and homelessness, instead of criminalizing behaviors that merit public health interventions. These community-based alternatives do not have to be residential, but they do have to be funded external to the criminal legal system. This report highlights Tennessee programs that could serve parents sentenced to community alternatives under this proposed legislation. Details: Oakland, CA: Human Impact Partners, 2018. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2018 at: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HIP_PrimaryCare-TN-Report.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HIP_PrimaryCare-TN-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 149611 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationChildren of Prisoners Community-Based SentencingFamilies of Inmates Family Engagement |
Author: Human Impact Partners Title: Keeping Kids and Parents Together: A Healthier Approach to Sentencing in Louisiana Summary: More than 800,000 parents are incarcerated across the US - a common practice that tears families apart, hurts children, and harms the health of entire communities. In this report, we evaluate the health and equity impacts of Primary Caretaker legislation in the state of Louisiana. If passed, this legislation would expand the ability to set community-based sentences for parents. Community-based sentencing is a healthier and fiscally responsible alternative. The benefits of allowing incarcerated parents to stay with or have more contact with their children are tremendous. Parents are more likely to succeed at treatment for substance use disorders and less likely to return to prison. By staying connected with their parents, children have the opportunity to experience healthy development and attachment, which contributes to good mental health and fewer behavioral issues. Community-based sentencing also decreases costs to prisons and jails and keeps parents connected to the workforce. Youth of color are more likely to experience their parent getting locked up. As a result of the racial inequities in the criminal legal system in the US, Black children are nine times more likely and Latinx children are three times more likely than White children to have a parent in prison. Kids with incarcerated parents are at risk of facing a variety of physical, mental, and behavioral health issues throughout the rest of their lives as a direct result of separation from their parent due to incarceration. In fact, this type of child-parent separation is classified as a specific type of trauma: an adverse childhood experience (ACE). Across Louisiana, about 1 in every 12 kids has experienced separation from a parent due to incarceration. Reducing the harm from incarcerating parents is doable in Louisiana. In 2016, about 2,650 parents who are currently incarcerated would have been eligible for this alternative sentencing in Louisiana - potentially keeping them together with their kids while still being held accountable for their actions. In Louisiana, about 1 of every 12 children has had an incarcerated parent. Mothers and grandmothers bear the burden at home. When a father is incarcerated, his children's mother remains as the primary caretaker 90% of the time. When a mother is incarcerated, her children are often displaced from their homes and frequently placed in the care of their grandmother. In both of these situations, mothers and grandmothers face the additional financial burden and emotional toll of a single parent home. Incarceration is harmful to individual and community health. Prison and jail environments are not conducive to family visits. In addition, most mothers and fathers in state and federal prisons are held over 100 miles from their homes, creating significant barriers for kids to visit their parents. Incarcerated parents who aren't able to maintain a connection with their children are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, be re-incarcerated, and lose parental rights. In communities targeted by mass incarceration, the loss of working adults and parents to jails and prisons fuels the cycle of poverty without reducing crime or increasing public safety. Alternative sentencing holds parents accountable and keeps families together. Research shows that community-based sentencing creates a supportive environment where parents can heal and be held accountable for the consequences of their conviction - while staying with their kids. These sentencing alternatives can also properly address substance use, mental health issues, and homelessness, instead of criminalizing behaviors that merit public health interventions. This report highlights Louisiana programs that could serve parents sentenced to community alternatives under this proposed legislation. Details: Oakland, CA: Human Impact Partners, 2018. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 29, 2018 at: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HIP_LAcaretakers_2018.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://humanimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/HIP_LAcaretakers_2018.pdf Shelf Number: 149612 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationChildren of Prisoners Community-Based SentencingFamilies of Inmates Family Engagement |
Author: Stone, Una B. Title: I'm still your mum: mothering inside and outside prison Summary: In Victoria over the last decade, the rate of female incarceration has continued to rise. This is despite some attempts by government to address recidivism through gender responsive policies and programs. Of specific concern is that the majority of women prisoners are primary carers for their children. Hence, their incarceration splinters the family unit and can perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of offending. This thesis studies the impact of maternal incarceration and the issues associated with reunification of the mother and her children. In particular it examines the issues which mothers face in mothering, both inside and outside prison. The information was gathered from the perspective of those professionals who support mothers with lived prison experience. It examines the daily challenges they face in supporting these mothers. Using purposive sampling, six professionals were selected for interview. Standpoint feminism underpins the research because it is concerned with facilitating change to address political and social structural disadvantage. Labelling theory was also incorporated as it is an important theoretical consideration when examining discrimination of women with lived prison experience. This research demonstrates the multiple marginalisations of mothers in the criminal justice system. It also highlights the limited services available to them inside and outside prison, inadequate funding for services and inexperienced case managers both inside and outside prison. The research shows that little has changed in almost fifty years; the typical profile of the mothers' show they still come from backgrounds characterised by disadvantage (such as poverty, homelessness, and physical abuse) and their offences are mostly non-violent. Furthermore, core problems that mothers face in regaining custody of their children remain the same, which invariably results in a failure for many of them to regain custody. Recommendations from this research include abolishing short custodial sentences, housing prioritisation for mothers exiting prison, and policy reform to prioritise funding for drug rehabilitation services both inside prison and in the community to ensure continuity of support post-release. Details: Melbourne: RMIT University, 2013. 171p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 9, 2018 at: https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160547 Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160547 Shelf Number: 150115 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersMothers in Prison |
Author: Garcia-Hallett, Janet Title: The Navigation of Motherhood for African America, West Indian, and Hispanic Women in Reentry Summary: Though women are less likely than men to be incarcerated and are disproportionately outnumbered in United States jails and prisons (Guerino et al., 2011; Minton, 2013), women in state facilities are more likely to report being parents (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008; Mumola, 2000) and most plan to rekindle maternal relationships with their children upon their release (Barnes & Stringer, 2014; Hairston, 1991). Research demonstrates that women face substantial burdens during their reentry into the community, but reentry burdens may be more challenging to women of color who stand at the intersection of sexism and racism (Brown, 2010; Roberts, 1993). Ethnic differences among Black women are overlooked, however, as existing knowledge of women's experiences is often constructed along a Black/White dichotomy. Furthermore, selfconceptions as mothers, social expectations of mothers, and attempts to mother may place additional burdens on formerly incarcerated women with children. Yet, motherhood is still understood as a motivating factor in women's lives post-incarceration (Brown & Bloom, 2009; Hayes, 2009). This study investigates how formerly incarcerated women navigate motherhood and how this process influences mothers' reintegration after their release from imprisonment. The research draws on 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated mothers. These women's narratives focus on the role that maternal desires, decisions and behaviors play across various aspects of life post-incarceration: parenting, employment and finances, living arrangements, custody of children, as well as recovery from histories of addiction. This study utilized a comparative sampling strategy to unpack the experiences of groups viewed collectively as ―minorities‖ and to examine similarities and differences among African American, West Indian and Hispanic formerly incarcerated mothers. There is also a comparative feature across varying degrees of contact with children (both minor and adult children) - specifically, mothers living with their children, mothers not living with their children but remaining in contact, and mothers without contact. This study not only examines post-incarceration reintegration for formerly incarcerated mothers but it captures the intersectionality of criminal status, gender, and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, its comparative features go beyond common racial-ethnic labels and classifications of mother-child relationships in understanding the role of navigating motherhood in women's reintegration after incarceration. Details: Newark, NJ: Rutgers University, School of Criminal Justice, 2017. 268p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: accessed May 23, 2018 at: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/54125/PDF/1/play/ Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/54125/PDF/1/play/ Shelf Number: 150333 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale OffendersMinority GroupsMotherhoodParentingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Ugwudike, Pamela Title: Evaluation of Pact's Supporting Young Parents in Prison Project Summary: The Supporting Young Fathers in Prison (SYFP) project is delivered by Pact Cymru in prisons across Wales. The project advocates on behalf of young fathers in prison and their families. It brokers relevant services, provides therapeutic support, facilitates parenting efficacy, supports efforts to build relationships, and strengthens family ties. Pact Cymru deliver this service through its prison-based Family Engagement Service (FES), and in collaboration with services within the prison and the wider community. Volunteers, Family Engagement Managers, and Family Engagement Coordinators offer one-to-one casework support to the men in prison and their families, refer them to relevant services, deliver parenting programmes, relationship courses and other related courses, help the men maintain contact with family members by organizing extra prison visits in family-friendly settings, and provide additional services to enhance the quality and outcome of prison visits for the men and their families. The SYFP project's primary aim is to help men in prison engage with their families (their partners and children), to reduce the social isolation and traumatic impact of the separation associated with imprisonment. The project supports the men's efforts to maintain contact with their families and build good quality relationships. There is substantial research evidence that maintaining family ties during imprisonment can improve prisoners' behaviour, contribute to order in prison, reduce rates of longer term reoffending, and facilitate successful resettlement (Farmer 2017; HM Inspectorate of Prisons 2014; Markson et al. 2015). The SYFP project also aims to direct parents in prison and their families to relevant services, improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of children affected by parental imprisonment, reduce the risk of intergenerational offending and encourage good practice in the field of family support within the prions and the wider community. An additional aim is to develop good practice in the field of family support work within prisons and evaluate future provision across the prison estate. This report presents the findings of an evaluation of SYFP. Pact Cymru commissioned the evaluation which generated qualitative and quantitative data to assess the quality and impact of service delivery by examining three key themes: - The processes of service delivery - The ways in which service delivery contribute the aforementioned primary aims - How best to develop good practice and evaluate future provision across the prison estate. The evaluation generated data from 50 semi-structured interviews. Pact workers, prison staff and men in three prisons (Prison A, Prison B and Prison C participated in the interviews and family members were also interviewed. In addition, quantitative data generated from prisoners before and after their involvement with the SYFP project were analyzed. Findings reveal that the project is not only considered to be vital by those delivering the project and the service users, it is also viewed as an indispensable service; there is no alternative provision in place within the Prisons visited. So far, the SYFP project has supported men in prison and their families by advocating on their behalf, brokering relevant services, providing therapeutic support, supporting parenting efficacy, building relationships, and strengthening family ties. The key findings of this evaluation are summarized below. - The SYFP project broadens participation by disseminating information about the service in prison wings through volunteers, workers, peer mentors and others delivering the service, and also by displaying information flyers and hosting promotional activities. - The SYFP project delivers its aim of improving the levels and quality of contact between men and prison and their families by organizing extra prison visits in more conducive settings. This is the provision the men and their families access the most. - Men in prison believe that the SYFP project improves the frequency of contact and quality of relationships with their families and strengthens the bonds between them. It also improves their parenting ability, emotional wellbeing and behaviour. - Staff and volunteers delivering the SYFP project provide extensive advocacy services. For example, they liaise with social services, visit schools to advocate on behalf of children affected by parental imprisonment. - The service provides individualized support that is tailored to suit the needs of each parent in prison and his family. This approach is consistent with research which suggests that service users are more likely to engage with, and benefit from individualized services. - Additional support provided by the SYFP project include brokering social welfare support for prisoners and their families. The extant international literature on evidencebased practice and key models of rehabilitation strongly emphasize that brokering access to relevant services can aid the desistance process. - The SYFP project is desistance-focused; its role in strengthening bonds between prisoners and their families can encourage desistance. The desistance research literature emphasises that bonds with non-criminogenic family members promote desistance. - The SYFP project provides opportunities for prisoners and their families to maintain ties and relationships. In doing so, the service aligns itself with research which emphasizes the role of families in supporting resettlement. - The consensus amongst all those who participated in this evaluation is that Supporting Young Fathers in Prison project is an indispensable service and no other agency in the three participating prisons provides similar family support services Details: Southampton, UI: University of Southampton, Department of Sociology, Social policy and Criminology, 2017. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2018 at: https://www.nicco.org.uk/userfiles/downloads/5ac606fc5f959-dr-pamela-ugwudike-pact-sypp-evaluation-report-2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.nicco.org.uk/userfiles/downloads/5ac606fc5f959-dr-pamela-ugwudike-pact-sypp-evaluation-report-2017.pdf Shelf Number: 150776 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesMale Inmates |
Author: Beresford, Sarah Title: What about me? The impact on children when mothers are involved in the criminal justice system Summary: Children are often devastated when their mum is sent to prison but their interests are rarely considered by a justice system which is blind to their needs, a new report by the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) reveals. For most children, their mother is their primary carer. Every year an estimated 17,000 children experience their mum being sent to prison. Last year, 83% of women sentenced to prison had committed a non-violent crime and 62% were serving a sentence of six months or less. The report shows that a mother's imprisonment not only damages the child's relationship with her, but can affect every area of their lives, including their housing, education, health, and well-being. Details: London: Prison Reform Trust, 2018. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 9, 2018 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/portals/0/documents/what%20about%20me.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/portals/0/documents/what%20about%20me.pdf Shelf Number: 150779 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of Inmates Female Offenders Women Offenders |
Author: Lindquist, Christine Title: The Experiences of Families during a Father's Incarceration: Descriptive Findings from Baseline Data Collection for the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering Summary: The United States has the highest incarceration rate and the most people incarcerated in the world (International Centre for Prison Studies, 2012). Over half of the 2.3 million individuals in U.S. jails and prisons are parents, and in 2006 an estimated 7,476,500 children had a parent who was incarcerated or under correctional supervision (Glaze, 2010; Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). Many fathers in prison are in committed intimate or coparenting relationships, and their incarceration can affect their families both during and after the sentence is served. This report describes the experiences of 1,482 incarcerated fathers and their intimate or coparenting partners. It is based on survey data collected for the impact evaluation of the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP), which includes in-depth, longitudinal interviews in five states (Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York). Although this report uses data collected for the MFS-IP evaluation, the results presented here are not findings about the impact of MFS-IP programming. Rather, the data are used to generate descriptive information on salient characteristics for a large sample of couples separated by incarceration. Because the study sample is based on a selection of competitively selected Office of Family Assistance grantees, it cannot be considered as nationally representative of the prison population as a whole nor of the prison populations in the five selected states. Nevertheless, it provides the most detailed, descriptive portrait to date of incarcerated men who are in intimate or coparenting relationships during their incarceration, and their partners. The study sample of incarcerated men and their female partners was asked about their work and family lives prior to incarceration; their health and well-being during the fathers' incarcerations; and their expectations for reentry, including reunification with each other and their child or children. Survey questions addressed relationship quality, parenting and coparenting, family contact, and the well-being of children and mothers during the fathers' incarcerations. Detailed information about a single "focal child" for each father was obtained. One key contribution of this report is that responses reflect the dual perspectives of both men and their partners during incarceration. Findings from subsequent interview waves at 9, 18, and (for a subset of sites) 34 months after this baseline interview will provide information on later experiences, including reentry, family reunification, and factors associated with reductions in criminal behavior. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance, 2015. 157p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 16, 2018 at: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/137556/MFS-IP%20BaselineReport.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/137556/MFS-IP%20BaselineReport.pdf Shelf Number: 151152 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesParenting |
Author: Bates, Douglas Title: Once A Felon....Always A Felon? A Comparative Case Study of the Experiences of Convicted African-American Fathers Summary: Currently, African-Americans account for 12.3% of the U.S. population but represent 38% of the prison population (The Sentencing Project, 2016). Of the many African-American males sent to prison each year, there is limited research that explores the impact a conviction has on African-American fathers. Within the literature, researchers (Laakso & Nygaard, 2012; Miller, et. al., 2013, Flouri & Buchanan, 2002; Lee, Sansone, Swanson, & Tatum, 2012; Johnson & Easterling, 2015; Miller, 2006; Lopez & Bhat, 2007; Aaron & Dallaire, 2009) only focus on the effect incarceration has on children and the experiences of fathers while incarcerated (Roy & Dyson, 2005; Turner & Peck, 2002; Landreth & Lobaugh, 1998; Tripp, 2001; Arditti, Smock, & Parkman, 2005; Lange, 2001). The goal of this study are to (a) explore the experiences of convicted African-American fathers since their reentry into society, (b) in sharing their experiences, examined how convicted African-Americans fathers described the relationship with their children, and (c) compared the overall experiences of the convicted African-American fathers for similarities or differences since their reentry into society. The study took place while the fathers were clients at the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition located in Columbia, South Carolina. Using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1977) as the framework, the study explored the barriers convicted African-American fathers face within the different systems they live in every day. Results showed the fathers experienced difficulty finding sustainable employment and reestablishing a parental role with their children due to their conviction and incarceration. Details: Columbia: University of South Carolina, 2018. 180p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 19, 2019 at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/4730/ Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/4730/ Shelf Number: 155049 Keywords: African-American Males Children of PrisonersCollateral Consequences Families of Inmates Felony Offenders Recidivism |
Author: Amighetti, Demalui Title: Costa Rica - Nios y nias con madres y padres encarcelados por delitos de drogas menores no violentos ( 103/5000 Costa Rica - Children with mothers and fathers imprisoned for non-violent minor drug offenses) Summary: This document presents the result of the information gathering process in Costa Rica, within the framework of the research project "Girls and boys with mothers and fathers imprisoned by non-violent drug crimes in Latin America and the Caribbean ". The study was aimed at generate knowledge about the specific impact that imprisonment has on the life of girls, boys and adolescents with adult referents deprived of liberty for crimes minors of drugs. The methodology developed in this study adhered to the shared work guidelines by research teams from different countries and included: data collection quantitative data on people incarcerated for drug-related crimes in the country; the documentary review; the analysis of the current national regulations on childhood, system penitentiary and drug policies; and semi-structured interviews with private women of the freedom for minor crimes related to drugs, relatives in charge of the care of their children and daughters and girls, boys and adolescents with imprisoned parents (NNAPES, from now on1 ). In In total, six interviews were conducted with imprisoned women (one of whom was already at large), five interviews with family caregivers and eleven interviews with NNAPES. All interviews are performed under consent and in environments that were suitable for each person. The fact that they have worked only with women deprived of their liberty obeys different reasons associated with the institutional processes of the Costa Rican penitentiary system and the characteristics of people who are serving time. On the one hand, there are limitations to access different penitentiary centers, especially if it is to conduct interviews. In In particular, in detention centers for men there are greater restrictions to apply for an appointment and stricter entry controls. On the other hand, among women, the fact of being mothers and being incarcerated for a crime related to drugs are two of the situations where actions by public institutions have been prioritized, so that, in Unlike men deprived of their freedom, the generation of information is encouraged and projects of empowerment and social reintegration. The main results of the investigation are aimed at confirming the negative impact that the imprisonment of women mothers has on the physical and emotional integrity of their children and underage daughters. From the perspective of the NNAPES, as well as their mothers and people caregivers, following detention have had a negative impact on their development educational and their physical and mental health. Although in most cases there is contact between the NNAPES and their mothers deprived of freedom, it is threatened by a set of geographic, cultural, material and family factors; this against the lack of protection and institutional neglect by the State. In addition to seeing threatened their right to family coexistence, the NNAPES face the lack of clear and adequate information regarding to the situation of their mothers, the presence of situations of violence at the time of detention, the neglect of the psychological consequences that the new changes in the family, the lag or drop-out of school and the residence in community spaces described as unsafe and dangerous. Details: Church World Service, 2018. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed by May 16, 2019 at: http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/docs/PDD-Costa-Rica.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Costa Rica URL: http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/docs/PDD-Costa-Rica.pdf Shelf Number: 155872 Keywords: Children of PrisonersDrug OffendersFamilies of InmatesFemale OffendersRights of Children |
Author: Munoz, Luis Alberto Title: Mxico - Nios y nias con madres y padres encarcelados por delitos de drogas menores no violentos (Mexico - Children with mothers and fathers imprisoned for non-violent minor drug offenses) Summary: Problem Statement Throughout Latin America, drug policies have become tougher. In Mexico, particularly, This topic is extremely relevant. Since 2006, a policy to combat drug trafficking that has left thousands dead and disappeared (Aristegui, 2012). In addition, this policy has had various impacts on penal and penitentiary policy: criminalization of consumption (under legal figures such as "possession with intent to marketing "), mass arrests and convictions, violations of due process, restriction of pre-release benefits, among others. Therefore, this policy increased the number of people deprived of liberty for drug offenses. In this sense, it is estimated that, between December 2006 and December 2014, the population held in federal prisons for crimes against health increased 1,200% (WOLA, 2015). At the same time, there is a lack of public policies to deal with the damage caused by this war. has stopped: from assassinations of people outside the conflict in the clashes against the organized crime, even the helplessness of families that have lost a member this battle, whether by death, disappearance or, as far as this study is concerned, the deprivation of liberty (Pardo, 2016). The increase of persons deprived of liberty for drug offenses is very high, which is why wondering how many of those people are fathers or mothers? and, consequently, how many girls, boys and adolescents with imprisoned parents (NNAPES, from now on) 1 there are these crimes? What impact does deprivation of liberty for drug offenses have on NNAPES? of its significant adult referents ?, what has the State done to reduce or cancel this impact and restore the rights of the NNAPES? These questions served as the basis for the realization of this investigation. Background In Mexico, few investigations show the situation of the NNAPES, even less, when It is about NNAPES who do not live together with their parents in custody. Example of it is that, following up on an investigation prepared according to the Day of General Debate of the Committee on the Rights of the Child that, in 2011, addressed the situation of the NNAPES, the Commission of Human Rights of the City of Mexico issued the General Pronouncement: Rights of children and girls, sons and daughters of parents in prison (2013), which focuses on the boys and girls who are born and They grow up in prison with their mothers. Subsequently, the Mexican civil association Office for the Defense of Children's Rights, Together with the National Institute of Criminal Sciences, he published the book Invisible Prisoners: Sons and Daughters of women in seclusion (Griesbach et al., 2015). This study is based on interviews conducted focus groups of women incarcerated in the Women's Social Rehabilitation Center of Santa Martha Acatitla (Mexico City) who live with their sons and daughters; In addition, the staff was interviewed in charge of their care in said institution. This study focuses on the obligations Details: Church World Service, 2018. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2019 at: http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/docs/PDD-Mexico.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.cwslac.org/nnapes-pdd/docs/PDD-Mexico.pdf Shelf Number: 155868 Keywords: Children of PrisonersDrug OffendersFamilies of InmatesFemale OffendersRights of the Child |