IMPRISONED PARENTS' EFFECT ON CHILDREN

Imprisoned Parents' Effect on Children

EFFECTS ON CHILDEREN WITH PARENT THAT ARE IN PRISON

Introduction

The children of an incarcerated parent face acute risks. Some scholars estimate that the number of children in the USA with a parent who has been a prisoner, on parole, or on probation approaches 10 million. The United States incarcerates at the highest rate in the world, well above the rates of Russia and China and five to nine times the rates of our peer nations in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the Nordic countries. Less widely understood is how the U.S. approach to justice affects the children of imprisoned parents.

For some children, having a parent who is abusive or violent removed from the home is a net benefit. However, for most children, parental incarceration heightens risks at every turn. Arrest and incarceration bring about family trauma, stigma, sadness, and feelings of guilt and loss. Lost income due to incarceration creates financial hardships, often necessitating further disruptions such as relocation. The impact of a jail record on parental employment and housing upon release presents further challenges to a family. Finally the difficulties of establishing a close and positive relationship with one's mother or father within the confines of jail walls are formidable.

Discussion

Statistics

The vast majority of the parents (744,200) were fathers, whereas 65,600 were mothers. Imprisoned fathers reported having nearly 1.6 million minor children, whereas imprisoned mothers reported having 147,400 minor children. According to Glaze and Maruschak, the number of minor children with a mother in jail grew by 131% between 1991 and 2006, whereas those with a father in jail grew by 77%. (Ayers, 2007)

In 2007, 1.7 million children in the USA had an parent in jail . While programs for imprisoned mothers and their children are increasingly common, fathers make up the vast majority of prisoners. Nearly half of those fathers lived with their children before being sent to jail. More than 70% of children with an imprisoned parent are children of color. 01 in 42 Latino children, 01 in 112 white children, and 01 in 15 African American children has a parent in jail. (Butler, 2009)

Impact on children

The family ties of young prisoners can, in some cases, contribute to their offending behaviour and, in others, contribute to the way out of it. The term is used here in the context of a pathway to resettlement. It is well documented that young offenders are a group likely to have experienced disruptive family relationships. In the community this may manifest itself in homelessness. In custody, which unavoidably produces family separation, the potential for intensifying family problems is obvious. The maintenance and strengthening of family ties, therefore, except where this has been shown to be damaging to the young person, are key elements in both prevention and rehabilitation. Young offenders are not only 'children' but they may also be parents. There is some evidence to suggest that family and parenting variables may be predictive of offending behaviour throughout the life ...