Editor’s Note: In this month’s column, we feature an article written by our regular writer, Julie Rosenbluth, MPH, CHES, Center on Addiction and the Family (COAF), as well as a guest writer, Tanya Krupat, LMSW, MPH, Family Works, The Osborne Association. The Osborne Association provides services and programs and works to reform policies aimed at helping people involved in the criminal justice system achieve self-sufficiency, adopt healthy lifestyles, enter the workforce, rebuild their families, and rejoin their communities.

On any given day in this country, there are over 2.4 million children who have a mother or father behind bars; close to 5 million children nationally have a parent currently under some form of correctional supervision. These numbers mean that parental incarceration is an issue every teacher and guidance counselor will encounter though you may not be aware of it. Because of the stigma attached to having a family member who is incarcerated, children and their families often choose not to share this information with others. The shame and isolation families feel can lead children to feel alone and put them at risk for substance abuse, as well as other risky behaviors.

While children of incarcerated parents are at risk of substance abuse and other negative behaviors, including their own involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, much of this risk comes from the isolation they feel, the stigma against their parents and themselves (by association), and the lack of support available to them. With support and services, children whose parents are incarcerated can overcome these risks, thrive and fulfill their potential; as Emani Davis, a young woman and advocate on the Advisory Board of the National Resource Center for Children of Prisoners, reminds us, they are —like all children—children of promise. Over the next two months, this column will focus on the impact of a parent’s incarceration on children, the challenges this poses, and how guidance counselors, teachers, and other adults in their lives can support the fulfillment of their potential and their promise.

This month’s column provides an overview of the magnitude and nature of parental incarceration, and its impact on children/youth, providing resources we hope will be helpful for you. Next month’s column will be written by Youth Ambassadors at The Osborne Association’s Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents (ICIP); these inspiring young people will tell you about their experiences and how you can support children’s resiliency and reduce the “risks” they face.

Scope of the Issue

Over the past decades the numbers of people in jail and prison in the United States has grown astronomically—we now incarcerate more people per capita than any other country in the world. Today, 3.2% of the nation’s population or one in every 32 residents are under some form of correctional supervision (BJS Press Release, 2004); one in 138 Americans can expect to spend some time behind bars. A snapshot of those incarcerated reveals:

• The majority of people behind bars in this country have histories of substance abuse and various forms of past trauma.
• Poor people are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system: 60% of women and 40% of men in state prisons were unemployed before their arrest, and 37% of women and 28% of men earned less than $600 in the month before they were arrested (Galbraith, 2004). Fully 80% of people charged with crimes cannot afford an attorney to defend them (Bright, 2003).
• Most people in prison are parents: 75% of women and 66% of men in prison are parents of minor children. Ten million children have a parent who has been or is currently under some form of correctional supervision (arrested, incarcerated, or on probation, parole). A 1999 survey revealed that 1 in 14 African-American children, 1 in 38 Latino, and 1 in 125 white children have a parent in prison (Mumola, 2000).

What Does This Mean for Children

A parent’s incarceration can pose significant challenges for children, logistically and emotionally. They may change caregivers, living arrangements, schools and friends; their family may experience new financial pressures; and they may enter the foster care system. Emotionally, children experience confusion, embarrassment, hurt, shame, anger, self-blame, worry, and isolation. They often feel the world is an unfair place and associate authority figures (police, teachers, others) with those who took their parent away—this can lead to rebellious and defiant behavior. Their feelings can also turn inward, causing them to hurt themselves or to feel they must be perfect—that somehow this is their fault and if they can “just be good,” everything will turn out all right.

Without support, children with incarcerated parents are at greater risk of:

• emotional and behavioral difficulties, including withdrawal, aggression, anxiety, and depression;
• poor academic performance;
• alcohol and drug abuse;
• sexual risk taking; and
• juvenile delinquency

(Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners).

Though the public may assume that anyone in prison must automatically be an unfit parent—this is far from the truth. In the past few years children and youth have been speaking out about their feelings and experiences. They have told us that:

• They love their parents even if their parents did something wrong.
• They want to see their parents and continue having a relationship with them.
• They want truthful information about their parents.
• They do not want to be judged by their parent’s actions and behavior.
• They want and deserve support and the same opportunities to fulfill their potential as other children.
• They want support to deal with the challenges and pain that comes from this separation and the stigma that they have to endure.

(These and other assertions are listed in the Children of Incarcerated Parent’s Bill of Rights created by youth in San Francisco. See resource section in this column for how to access a copy of the Bill of Rights.)

The consequences of our criminal justice policies for children should be of grave concern to all of us, and all those working with youth should all have access to information and resources for how to support children affected by their parent’s incarceration.

How Can You Help?

If you are a school counselor or psychologist, you are probably already working with some kids who are separated from their parents due to incarceration. They might be referred to you because of behavioral, academic, familial, or attendance concerns, but in the mix of the challenges they are facing may be their parent’s arrest and/ or incarceration. Some steps you can take to support them and reduce their risk include:

• Learn more about this issue and examine your own beliefs about those involved with the criminal justice system so that you can create truly safe and non-judgmental places for children to talk about their experiences.
• Look for the possible signs of alcohol or other drug abuse early on and refer kids for help. Children of substance abusers have a genetic predisposition for developing their own problems with alcohol and drug use. Sixty-to 80% of incarcerated adults are substance abusers: their children may have lived with this and with feelings of rejection, possible abuse and neglect, multiple separations, and/ or financial instability that may have accompanied their parent’s use and precipitated their parent’s incarceration. For all these reasons, children of incarcerated parents are at an increased risk of their own substance abuse problems and may begin using earlier than their peers. Additionally, older children and teens of incarcerated parents may use substances to cope with their family situation, to cope with the stigma they feel as a child of a parent who is in prison, or in an attempt to emulate the parent.
• Be mindful that incarceration may be a dynamic in children’s lives. Through your communication with kids, demonstrate that you are not judgmental and that people and their actions are different; acknowledging that “good people can do bad things” (make mistakes and need to make changes) can relieve children of the shame they feel and their worry that they are “bad,” too.
• Watch for red flags that may be hinting that this is the situation in the family—if the parent has never come to the school, if the child “visits” their parent, if the parent spends time “upstate” or is away working for long periods of time, if the grandparent cares for the child and his/ her siblings—these are all possible indicators that the parent may be incarcerated.
• Acknowledge different kinds of separation that children face—some kids are in foster care, some kids live with their grandparents, some have parents who have drug problems, some have parents who are in jail or prison. This can reduce the isolation children feel and can also build acceptance, empathy and understanding among kids who are not in these situations.
• When you do learn that a child’s parent is in jail or prison, explore whether they are visiting them, whether they would like to, and how this can be arranged. Often children worry about their parent and fear the worst about where they are and what is being done to them. This detracts from their ability to concentrate in school. Contrary to what many think—visits can reassure children, help them focus on their own development (including academically), and maintain the relationship the child has with the parent.
• Find out about local resources, programs, and supportive services that might facilitate visits and offer support for the child and his/her caregiver.
• Work with teachers to create safe and accepting environments in their classrooms. In particular, on holidays, such as Mother’s and Father’s day, as well as when assigning homework that involves “interviewing your parent,” provide alternate options for children who may be separated from their parents or in painful situations. For example, a teacher can acknowledge to the whole class that for some people holidays are a hard time because not everyone they want to be there is there (this can also acknowledge any students who have experienced deaths in their families); when giving assignments include options for children to interview other family members or close friends.
• Listen to children and young people. There is a proverb that says: “We have two ears and one mouth—we should listen twice as much as we speak.” As we assess what is best for children and develop plans to support them and meet their needs, we should consult with them and listen to what they tell us they need.

Stay tuned for next month’s column where youth themselves tell us about their experiences and how we can minimize their risks and promote their promise.

Helpful Resources

Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents

www.e-ccip.org

626.449.8796

Children’s Bill of Rights

www.cwla.org/programs/incarcerated/billofrights.pdf

Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners

www.childrenofprisoners.org

National Resource Center for Children of Prisoners/ Family Corrections Network

www.fcnetwork.org

The Osborne Association

www.osborneny.org

Osborne’s Family Resource Center

800.344.3314

Women’s Prison Association

www.wpaonline.org

References

BJS Press Release. (7/25/2004). Probation and Parole in the U.S., 2003. [Online]. Retrieved from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ on December 18, 2004.

Bright, S.B. (2003). The Accused Get What the System Doesn’t Pay For. In Herevel, T. & Wright, P. (Eds.). Prison Nation. (pp. 6-22). New York: Routledge.

Federal Resource Center for Children of Prisoners, www.childrenofprisoners.org

Galbraith, M. S. (2004). “So Tell Me Why Do Women Need Something Different?” In Judah, E.H. & Bryant, Rev. M. (Eds.) Criminal Justice: Retribution vs. Restoration. (Pp.197-212). New York: Haworth Social Work Practice Press.

Mumola, C. (August, 2000). Incarcerated Parents and Their Children. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Nationwide percentages were translated to yield these numbers.