Transcript MOMMIES AND DADDIES IN JAIL

Judi Goozh and Sue Jeweler
STATISTICS
 According to a Department of Justice report from the year 2007, 2.3
percent of children in the United States (nearly 1.7 million children)
had an incarcerated parent.
 22 % of these children are under 5 years old.
 At least 1 in 50 children had a parent incarcerated in local or county
facilities.
 On any given day more than 7 million children may have a parent in prison or
jail or under parole or probation supervision.
 Disparate impact on minorities: African American children are almost 9 times
more likely to have a parent in prison. Hispanic children are 3 times more
likely.
 Different racial and ethnic groups view this experience differently. Immigrants
have an entirely different attitude toward the criminal justice system and the
police in particular. Many immigrants have a high level of fear regarding the
police.
 About 2/3 of teens whose mothers have arrest histories also have fathers with
arrest histories.
 1 out of every 10 children with an incarcerated mother ends up in foster care.
 Without effective intervention strategies, as many as 70 percent of children of
incarcerated parents may become involved with the criminal justice system.
CHILDREN WITH AN INCARCERATED PARENT ARE IMPACTED:
SOCIALLY
(acting out behaviors, friendship problems, communication)
EMOTIONALLY
(depression, anger, confusion, feelings of abandonment)
ACADEMICALLY
(attention, concentration, learning issues, poor grades)
CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE INCARCERATED REACT WITH:
 LONELINESS
 FEAR
 DEVELOPMENTAL REGRESSION
 GUILT
 EXCESSIVE CRYING AND SADNESS
 ANGER
 DISOBEDIENCE
Impact on the Family
 SOCIAL STIGMA
 LOSS OF INCOME
 LOSS OF FAMILY HOME
 DIVIDED LOYALTY
 LACK OF RESOURCES
 The greatest predictor of anti-social behavior is not due as much to the
separation from the parent, but rather the home environment and the
influence of the remaining parent.
 Supporting the parent should be one of our primary goals when
possible.
 Many adults do not tell the child the truth about what the parent did or
where the parent is. Instead, they give themselves and the child socially
acceptable explanations.
 Research indicates that if children are told about the incarceration in
an age appropriate manner and in an open and honest way, they were
more likely to react with loneliness then with anger.
IMPACT ON SCHOOL
 Young children tend to withdraw and show
anxiety, anger or hostility towards caregivers.
Older children often exhibit school difficulties
and problems with peers.
 Unless the parent or grandparent tells the
school that a family member is incarcerated,
the only way the school knows would be
through overhearing other kids or the child
telling the teacher or at an Individualized
Education Program meeting.
IMPACT OF PRISON VISITS ON CHILDREN
 Without visits, the children may believe the
parent no longer loves them or cares about
them.
 Some research says that visiting increases the
likelihood that the relationship will survive
when the parent is released. Some feel visiting
a parent in jail is too traumatic.
 Immediately following a visit, children may be
sad, tired, tearful or engage in aggressive
behavior.
COMING HOME
Re-entering into a family after being in jail or prison is a huge hurdle
for families to overcome. Often a single counselor or parole officer
works with the offender for practical things like food stamps, job
resumes, drivers license but, more likely then not, there is almost no
attention paid to this reintegration.
IMPACT ON AGENCIES
 Lack of coordination of both services and programs
available to these families.
 Staff may or may not have any experience with the unique
problems associated with having an incarcerated family
member.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
 Re-think our own preconceived ideas
and stereotypical attitudes about
crime, the incarcerated parent, the
family, and the idea that the child
now will probably follow in this
downward path.
 Educate others.
 Be compassionate.
Help break the
cycle – do not assume nothing can be
done.
 Make sure that children who have an
incarcerated parent are properly assessed
and supported.
 Give
appropriate support during the
initial period of adjustment and
throughout the process of reunification.
 Prompt open discussions with either the
parent or the child in a safe, caring, and
confidential way and have the child or
parent talk about their experiences, and
help them to deal with the emotions and
consequences that follow incarceration.
 Encourage the parent to come to the school to tell the counselor, the
principal, the teacher or the case manager that her spouse has been
arrested. In addition, it is important to get the parent to give
permission to talk to the child.
 Encourage and investigate cross collaboration among different agencies
in the community such as social service providers, pediatricians, other
mental health agencies.
CREATIVE FAMILY PROJECTS, LLC
Thinking Outside the Box
A Program of Family Services, Inc.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
http://www.creativefamilyprojects.org
CONTACT US:
Creative Family Projects, LLC
402 King Farm Blvd. #125 – 143
Rockville, Maryland 20850
[email protected]