A Short Summary Of Incarceration

America has the highest prevalence of jailing its citizens. Nearly 2.3 million Americans are behind bars or nearly one percent of the adult population at any given time (Campbell, Vogel, & Williams, 2015). As of 2014, African Americans make up 34% of the incarcerated population. As a result, a disproportionate amount of African American youth will experience a parent’s incarceration. Research has shown that children of incarcerated parents experience emotional problems, socioeconomic problems, and cognitive disturbances (Miller, 2007). In this paper, I will discuss the impact of mass incarceration in the African American community and its effect on African American children.

The United States’ ever-expanding prison and jail population has brought about many questions regarding the side-effects of mass incarceration, namely involving the effects on the children and families from which those incarcerated are removed. Regardless of the perspectives on the appropriate position of incarceration in the criminal justice system, imprisonment disrupts many positive and nurturing relationships between parents and their children. In fact, more than 1.7 million children have a parent who is incarcerated in a state or federal prison as of 2007 (Glaze & Maruschak, 2008). These youths are at risk for developing behavior and school problems in addition to insecure attachment relationships. Parental incarceration, which may also be coupled with economic disadvantage and inconsistent living arrangements (Geller, Garfinkel, Cooper, & Mincy, 2009) can be an extremely difficult experience for children. It should come as no surprise that families with children suffer economic strain and instability when a parent is imprisoned, considering how each parent in today’s world typically needs to set aside time to earn an income to support their family, and most are unable to support their homes on one income. While it may be considered intrusive to some to intervene in the lives of children and families with incarcerated parents, research has suggested that there are positive societal benefits to intervening in the lives of incarcerated parents and their

Today prisons are overcrowded and over two million Americans, male, and female are sitting in jail or prison, and two thirds of those people incarcerated are parents (U.S. Department of Justice). Approximately two million of these children are separated from their mom or dad because of incarceration of which these are the custodial parent. These children suffer from poverty, inconsistency in caregivers, separation from siblings, reduced education, increased risk for substance abuse, alcoholism and incarceration themselves.

Many of these incarcerated men and women play various roles in their communities. They are parents, siblings, sons, and daughters and have family members who depend upon them for social and economic support. The incarceration of a parent has a particularly destabilizing role in a child’s life, oftentimes leaving the child in the care of a single parent, relative, or foster home (Levy-Pounds, 2006). Parental incarceration is considered an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), a designation for certain

Incarceration is the state in which a person is confined within a prison, this can be known as imprisonment. Imprisonment within the United States is mostly due to the illegal use of drugs. Drug Offenses are the most common cause of incarceration, an astounding forty-six percent, compared to the second most common causes. These causes include the illegal handling, and usage of weapons, explosives, and arson; these Offenses only hold a lightly rounded total of seventeen percent. The list of Offenses continuing from there decrease in percentage rates, the list contains the following in order from greatest to least amount of cases; Immigration, Sex Offenses, Extortion, Fraud, Bribery, Burglary, Larceny, Property Offenses, Robbery, Homicide, Aggravated Assault, and Kidnapping Offenses, Miscellaneous, Courts or Corrections, Banking and Insurance, Counterfeit, Embezzlement, Continuing Criminal Enterprise, then National Security Risks. Ages of those incarcerated have a range from the beginning of adolescence to the elderly. The security system of prisons is separated into five main categories; Minimum, Low, Medium, High, and Unclassified. Minimum and low-security levels are for common offenses such as theft. Medium and high classifications are for homicide and national security risks. Unclassified is for those who have not yet been assigned an area of security.

Incarceration has been a pending issue amongst western civilization’s history for some time and today continues to raise a wide range of important questions. Incarceration of individuals have become a tremendous tax payer concern along with the incarceration of the drug war, convictions of street gangs, and the rest of the individuals who have broken the law and harmed other innocent individuals. However, the question is always a concern of men incarceration and hardly addressed of women being incarcerated. Not to say that what men can do women can do better, but studies have shown a drastic increase in women becoming incarcerated throughout a range of years. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures research on Children Of Incarcerated Parents by Steve Christian, a study by national survey had reported in August 2008, that during that time, the number of children with a mother in prison increased by 131 percent, from 63,900 to 147,400 (Christian, 2009). Society has always drawn its focus on convicts constantly trying to pin a wrong on an individual’s plate of life, but has never become curious to ask why an individual has become incarcerated and whom it has affected. The drastic increase of women becoming incarcerated have come from numerous of backgrounds in which their choices have led to affect their children as well as their children’s development and in addition affected their own development.

My papers purpose is to inform the reader of the ever increasing number of U.S children with incarcerated parents. According to Department of Justice data African American children are nine time more likely than white children to have incarcerated parents, A number double that of what was reported in 1991 Most children of incarcerated parents live in poverty before, during and after their paren't incarceration( Johnston 1995).The social consequences of not meeting the need of these children and their non incarcerated parent will come to the attention of social workers in array of fields of practice. This includes child welfare, mental health and child development, crimminal justice , schools and the juvenile justice system.

The article talks about how a man named, Rodney Roberts was incarcerated for kidnapping and rape, which he said that he didn't commit. Roberts states, “Seventeen years I was gone. I had to understand and process the changes to society, the technology, the cultural changes, the geographical changes” (Roberts). Once you are free from jail, you have to realize that things in the community are not going to be the same anymore. You are going to come across things that you are not use to anymore, but think about if this would happen while in jail.

Researchers have begun to measure not only how incarceration influences parents, but the effects the consequences of parental incarceration on children. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1.5 million minors deal with parental incarceration every year (Harrison & Beck, 2010). In addition, as jail and prison residents continue to increase, the number of children affected by parental incarceration will also continue to increase. Therefore, researchers have taken a certain interest in studying the short and long term consequences of parental incarceration on children. Investigators show that children of incarcerated parents are up to ten times more likely to be incarcerated during their generation than children of non-incarcerated parents (Johnson, 2010).

Indeed, once upon a time the incarceration system was set in place with two firm duties: retribution and rehabilitation. When did these institutions, once considered virtuous and just, become the hallmark of inequality? On September 27th, 2015, Pope Francis remarked on a visit to a Philadelphia jail “It is painful when we see prison systems, which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities,” a moving sentiment that would soon resonate with the American population. Unbeknownst to many listening to his gripping words, ⅓ of the world 's female prison population is incarcerated in the United States. And if the magnitude of that figure does not astound you, maybe the fact that every 1 in 15 American prisoners are black, while only 1 in 106 prisoners are white, will. These statistics reported by Harper’s Index embody the blatant corruption of the American incarceration system and the innate institutionalized racism the U.S has sustained throughout history.

Per the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), nearly 50% of current inmates are jailed for nonviolent offenses (Federal Bureau of Prisons, n.d.). Almost 68% (two-thirds) of inmates return to prison within three years of being released, and 77% (three-quarters) were arrested within five years of leaving (Topic, n.d.). These numbers are staggering and seem to go largely ignored by mainstream media and the public. Most of them view people in prison as deserving of it and see no need to offer them (prisoners) help. While there are some prisons that offer rehabilitation in forms such as educational programs, psychiatric treatment and various others, they are largely not implemented in prisons across the country. These programs are detrimental in helping inmates cope with prison life and ease the transition back into civilian life. Psychiatric treatment is of the utmost importance as it benefits inmates tremendously. College programs are another key beneficial factor in prison. Seeing as in prior years, a lot of inmates failed to find work after leaving jail. In more recent years, more and more programs are being added to prisons for inmates to take advantage of as well as the return of Pell grants for them. The programs allow inmates to train and become certified while in jail, and offer employment after being released. At least giving some hope to those who have none while incarcerated. Prison rehabilitation should be offered to inmates because it helps with psychological programs,

The United States has the highest imprisonment rate of any country in the world. The rate of imprisonment of people in the United States has been increasing at a rapid pace since the 1980’s and 90’s. It should come as no surprise then that it is not only the number of single people incarcerated that has grown, but the number of parents incarcerated as well. For instance, the number of children with an incarcerated parent in a state or federal jail in 1986 was 600,000. By 2007 that number had more than doubled to a staggering 1.7 million children with a parent in a state or federal prison. It is important to note that these statistics do not even include the number of children with a parent in a local or county jail. (p343)

Moreover, another limitation as it pertains to population was the failure of the literature to make strong connection about paternal incarceration impacting African American families and children. Most publications focused on maternal incarceration and its impacts on African American families and children. However, this research study isn’t geared toward maternal incarceration. The researcher had to utilize several different databases and keywords to find relevant and valid information on this topic. This process was time consuming but necessary to provide accurate research on this

Incarceration, a topic of controversy, has received much attention in both academic and political arenas. Policy changes in recent years have influenced incarceration rates and, in turn, affected families and children in the U.S. (Hagan & Coleman, 2001; Visher & Travis, 2003; “Pew Charitable Trusts”, 2010; Arditti, Lamburt-Shute, & Joest, 2003). Policies, such as “tough on crime” and “war on drugs”, have contributed to not only a steady rise in incarceration rates and over crowding of correctional facilities, but also endorsed the disproportionate number of detainees from underrepresented ethnic populations (Hagan & Coleman, 2001; “Pew Charitable Trusts”, 2010). Hence, the vast majority of children who are affected by having an incarcerated parent are of underrepresented ethnic groups (“Bureau of Justice”, 2010).

In most situations, once a juvenile has been accused of a crime, the individual appears in court and the case is heard by a judge. The judge will determine the sentence the juvenile has to complete. According to the NCCP, most juveniles receive punishment, such as community service of probation (Kihl 10). When the youth face the possibility of incarceration in an adult prison, juveniles will less likely receive any rehabilitative or therapeutic services in the facility. The youth who are charged with most serious and violent crimes are more likely to tried as adults and more likely to be sent and sentenced to an adult prison, Juveniles that minor offenses, such as, theft or burglary, are more likely to be sent to a juvenile center. Because