The Effects Of Children After Parental Incarceration

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).

In reading and dissecting Nell Bernstein’s All alone in the world: Children of the incarcerated, many social issues and issues within current policies involving the incarcerated population were discussed. It is no secret that for some time now, the United States’ criminal justice system has been majorly flawed in more ways than one. Bernstein focuses and creates conversation around several difficulties that children of the incarcerated population experience. The central social problem presented in Bernstein’s novel is that children are being separated from their parents at crucial developmental stages in their lives. Many of the children experienced their parent(s) being incarcerated at very young ages; ages where having a parent to interact with on a daily basis is imperative, not only for developmental growth, but for emotional and social aspects as well. At these young ages, children are unable to understand and process what exactly is occurring and more importantly why their parents are being taken away from them.

Most of the prisons in America are overcrowded. They are overcrowded with men, most of which are fathers and nearly half of these incarcerated fathers were living with their child or children before going to prison. The effects on these children can be detrimental. This can also cause strained relationships with the mothers or other family members doing their best to take care of these children while their father is away. There can be social as well as emotional problems, but luckily there are many states that are trying to accommodate for the parent being gone with programs and camps for these children.

Chapter one is all about the framework for understanding parental incarceration. While reading this chapter, there was a lot facts I knew or didn’t know like we discuss in class. Professor Ann Adalist-Estrin told everybody in class to write what knew about parental incarceration. This chapter talks about all the families and children dress up in their Saturday best outfit sitting on their mother’s slaps, rolling around on the dirty floor, trying to make something out paper to entertain themselves while in jail waiting to see their love ones. Historically criminal justice have been study within criminology and a family lens was not utilize. So reading this chapter show the study of incarceration with particular emphasis on parent’s incarcerations

This author contends that most children who reach primary schooling age should not live with their incarcerated parent but rather, return to society to begin their formal education. Studies have shown that only children from birth to the age of 2 years have a total dependency on their parent, developing attachment and trust to their

This research focuses on how incarceration affects the health and overall well-being of prisoners as well as their families. The article is unique in that it contains many first-hand interviews with prisoners and family members sharing their experiences of social support

Children with incarcerated parents have lived an uneasy life. Children have watched their parents get in trouble with the law and watch them be handcuffed and taken away for arrest. Children struggle physically, mentally and emotionally when a parent is displaced away from the home. Children have many emotions when they see their parent going away with a police officer. Children are taught today, the police officers are there to help you but also deal with people that get in trouble and when you parent is taken away from you, you are aware that something bad has happened. As learned throughout research many things become an issue in the behavior of a child.

Miller, K. M. (2006). The impact of parental incarceration on children: An emerging need for effective interventions. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 23(4), 472-486.

Incarcerating youth affects them in many different ways. One way is the psychiatric damage prisons cause. Being in prison means that the child is not able to be with their family and community, which can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression. Studies show that “incarcerated youth die from suicide at a rate two to three times more than non- incarcerated youths” (Polish,1). In addition to mental health effects, incarceration at a young age affects the person’s future by lowering their chances of finding a job. When sentenced to a correctional facility, the child’s education is stopped and they become 38 times more likely to become a repeat offender(Koehler,1). With no education and a

The growing numbers of the prison population are accompanied by an equally large number of children with incarcerated parents. The relevance of this topic is particularly pronounced remembering that the needs of children are not considered in the issue of judicial hearings. According to Nesmith and Ruhland (2008) , the primary consequences related to the relationship between parent incarceration and adverse outcomes in children are born from the loss of contact. The research explored in this writing illustrates the significant focus on the varying views regarding the impact of maternal and paternal incarceration. Research on the views of children on the issue, long term effects as well as health implications is considered.

or recurring fears (fear of the dark, fear of being alone, fear of strangers) Clinging, unwilling to let you out of sight, Anger, crying, whining, Not able to control emotions, Aggressive or stubborn behavior, Going back to behaviors present when a younger age Doesn't want to participate in family or school activities Mediplus (2016, Dec. 2). Children of incarcerated parents are in a unique position in regards to the overall direction of their life. Even the data suggests that there are instances where these children take a lesson from the imprisoned parent and completely avoid the prison system all together. For those who fail to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors, there is a very lucrative system of imprisonment. There is a stigma

The study by Lopers and Nichols was a longitudinal, study design using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child and Youth survey (NLSY 2010), which included women and their children. According to Lopers and Nichols, “Out of the sample, 585 met criteria for the household incarceration status, to be compared to 2,753 individuals who did not experience household incarceration” (p. 5). Furthermore, it was not possible to determine if the sample was consistent with national trends since statistics for this specific population are unavailable. However, the sample included a 6.7% incarceration rate which is consistent with other published studies. Out of this sample 39% reported parental incarceration, 31% reported sibling incarceration, and 18.6% reported other household member incarceration. Furthermore, 10.9% reported incarceration of several types of family members. Data was used from 11 waves of the

When a person is put into prison, not only are they affected, but so are their families and communities. When incarcerated a person’s parental rights are terminated. Incarceration is also legal ground for divorce. Low levels of incarceration can actually be beneficial to communities, but high levels can be detrimental. High levels of incarceration can destabilize communities, making them more vulnerable to crime (O’Brien lecture)..

Incarceration on individuals can either have a negative or positive effect on the outcome of a person’s life. There are many different trails that people go through when they are incarcerated. Depending on their situations, it can either help change them for the better or take them backwards. The question is does being incarcerated affect recidivism?

However, the way both prison systems, and the justice system as well, are currently running, has a negative impact on both crime and society. Imprisonment rates disproportionately affect impoverished people and their families. When an income generating member of a family is imprisoned, the rest of the impoverished family must adjust to the loss of revenue. To add on to the loss of income, there will will then be new expenses added on to the family, such as the cost of legal representation, food for the imprisoned person, and transportation for prison visits (UNODC). Now, a family is left with exceptional expenses and a loss in revenue, which in turn has a negative effect on future generations. The children of incarcerated parents are more likely to end up in bad financial situations later in life as a result of their parents being arrested, disabling them from contributing economically to society. In 2008, there were reportedly 2.7 million children with incarcerated parents in the United States. Of these children, 23% were either suspended or expelled from school compared to the 4% of their peers who did not have incarcerated parents. Another study conducted in 2008 showed these children, who have poor behavioral records and familial issues, are more likely to end up in the same financial situations as their parents. If a child comes from a low-income family, has one or both of their