Serving Incarcerated and Ex-Offender Fathers and Their Families: A Review of the Field

• NCJ Number: 191839
• Author(s): John M. Jeffries Ph.D.; Suzanne Menghraj; Creasie F. Hairston Ph.D.
• Date Published: February 2001
• Length: 67 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1999-DD-BX-0031
• Sponsoring Agency: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
• Corporate Author: Vera Institute of Justice
• Sale Source: Vera Institute of Justice; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document describes some prison-based programs for incarcerated fathers and their children.

Abstract

Over half of State and Federal inmates are parents–-and most of these are fathers. Fathers are now recognized for their roles and potential as emotionally supportive and involved parents. Practitioners in the corrections and the human service fields have begun to respond to concerns about male prisoners’ family roles and responsibilities with programming designed for fathers in prison. Those who run prison-based programs for fathers interpret the significance of a father’s imprisonment in a number of ways. Incarcerated men who are focused on becoming better parents while in prison are less likely to recidivate after they are released. Men who participate in programs for incarcerated fathers interact with their children in ways that deter the development of intergenerational criminal behavior and delinquency. Children of men who participate in these programs are less likely to succumb to other negative child well-being outcomes, such as declining school performance or anti-social or aggressive behavior. Fathering programs in prison provide structured time for inmates and contribute to a facility’s capacity to control its population. A prison sentence interrupts a man’s ability to support his family; if male prisoners develop and nurture an interest in their emotional roles as parents, perhaps they are more likely to assume responsible emotional and financial roles as fathers upon release. The provision of educational and counseling services for fathers in prison and in the community remains a largely uncharted field. The design, objectives, history, policy contexts, and other operating environments of programs designed for incarcerated and low-income fathers are presented here. Some sources for this material include site visits and phone interviews with selected programs across the country and conversations with advocates who work with male prisoners. 26 endnotes, appendix, bibliography