Prisoners and Families: Parenting Issues During Incarceration

• NCJ Number: 222811
• Author(s): J. Creasie Finney Hairston
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper prepared for the Conference "From Prison to Home," January 30-31, 2002; downloaded May 22, 2008.

Annotation

This paper provides an overview of family issues that arise during incarceration, so as to inform public debate and actions regarding this emerging area of social policy and practice.

Abstract

The paper first discusses the importance of family life for offenders and the children of offenders, given that research has shown the significant contribution of family interactions to normative and antisocial behaviors of family members. The paper notes the failure of most research to focus on the family structures most prevalent among inmates. The majority of fathers and mothers in prison are unmarried, and many have parented children with more than one partner. Complex and differing relationships have developed with children from these multiple intimate relationships. Relationships with the children's mothers also have varied characteristics and problems. Inmates also have significant ongoing issues with their own parents, which significantly impacts their adjustment during and after their imprisonment. Given these diverse and complex family interactions, this paper discusses inmates' family issues from the perspectives of financial difficulties, parent-child relationships and children's care, emotional and social issues, information needs, prisoner-family communication, and cooperation among family members in addressing incarceration and postrelease issues. In addressing family matters for inmates during and after their incarceration, congressional bodies and State legislatures must take ownership of family-related incarceration issues. Sentencing policies, alternatives in corrections, prison locations, and funding for family programs and services all have an impact on what happens to family interactions and problems during and after incarceration. Conditions in these areas stem from legislative actions that must be examined for their impact on offenders' families. It is also important that child welfare and corrections policymakers work with professional associations and researchers in developing principles and national standards for serving parents in prison and their children. 50 references