NCJ Number
155603
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1995 Pages: 37-39
Date Published
May 1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A number of major themes have emerged from research into the impact of parental incarceration on children.
Abstract
First, separation from a parent is likely to be traumatic, disrupt personal and family bonds, and worsen the family's social and financial situation. Behavioral problems also tend to emerge in a sizeable minority of children, with problems usually relating to family supports and coping mechanisms. The stigma of incarceration is also an important problem for many children, although the level of difficulty experienced may reflect the family's view of incarceration. Children are also often deceived about incarceration. Some children are never told that their father is, or has been, in prison. Such deception has been universally condemned by authors as harmful to children and as perhaps the cause of behavioral difficulties. It has also been found that most children do not commit severe antisocial behavior at the time of their parent's incarceration, although boys in their early teens may be at greater risk of conduct problems. This type of behavior appears more likely to emerge in existing dysfunctional family situations. Finally, the incarceration of mothers may place even greater burdens on children if the children lose their primary caretaker. The children of incarcerated fathers typically continue to be cared for by their mothers, but the children of incarcerated mothers are rarely cared for by their fathers. 19 footnotes