NCJ Number
206184
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2004 Pages: 27-35
Date Published
2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effects of maternal incarceration on adolescent children.
Abstract
The number of women serving time in prison increased 137 percent between 1975 and 1985 and doubled again during the following decade. Concern has been raised that there is a new female criminal as a result of the changing social role of women. This study examined aspects of school, community, and home adjustment of 58 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 20 whose mothers were incarcerated. Twenty-one of the 58 children (36 percent) had dropped out of school. This directly related to the mother’s educational attainment. These adolescents were more than four times as likely to be out of school than a sample of their best friends; four times more likely to be suspended; three times more likely to be absent from school; and four times as likely to be failing classes. More than half of these children required school visits for disciplinary reasons during the past 12 months, and more than a quarter of them had been arrested. School problems and delinquent behavior might be related to the extent of maternal drug use. Although these adolescents initially experienced difficulty adapting to structure placements, those who were living in homes with rules and with family members had better educational outcomes, as did children who communicated frequently with their mothers. This study found that adolescents would benefit from promotion of educational programs, contact on a regular basis with their incarcerated mothers, and placement of the children with family or friends during the parents’ incarceration. References