NCJ Number
197828
Journal
Prosecutor Volume: 36 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 12,28,30
Editor(s)
Jean Holt
Date Published
November 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines children of incarcerated parents identified as one out of six groups vulnerable and at high risk to become delinquent, presented in a 2000 report by the Pima County, Juvenile Services Coordinating Council (JSCC) and preliminary findings from the Children of Prisoners Project that assessed the needs of children of incarcerated parents in Pima County.
Abstract
In an attempt to address juvenile crime in Pima County, Arizona, the Juvenile Services Coordinating Council (JSCC) organization was established, whose main goal was to collaborate on developing strategies for preventing juvenile delinquency in Pima County. In 2000, in conjunction with the Pima Prevention Partnership (PPP), the JSCC developed an action plan for juvenile delinquency prevention. The report published in 2000 identified the most vulnerable children in the community and those at highest risk to become delinquent. Children of incarcerated parents is one of the groups identified in the report and targeted as highly vulnerable. The arrest and imprisonment of a parent is a significant trauma for children, and children of incarcerated parents are at high risk for juvenile delinquency. If the problems of children of incarcerated parents are not addressed, intergenerational patterns of crime and violence can be produced. The JSCC and the PPP have since attempted to seek funding for those groups identified in the report as at-risk. In 2001, an 18 month planning grant was awarded from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections to benefit children of inmates. Over the last 10 months, a comprehensive needs assessment has been conducted, the Children of Prisoners Project, with incarcerated adults and their children and caregivers in the Tucson/Southern Arizona area. To date preliminary findings show that 3.5 percent of the children age 0-18 in Pima County have an incarcerated parent, 75 percent of Arizona female inmates are mothers and have children under the age of 18, and 55 percent of men in Arizona State prison are fathers of children under the age of 18.