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This article examines the need and types of support for children with a parent in prison, the measures in place to know who they are and the consequences of associated policies for their development. These are discussed within a cultural‐historical child development framework and, within that, questions are raised about optimal development and children's rights. The article is grounded in a mixed‐methods study of a support service for children of prisoners in Worcestershire. Parental imprisonment can impact negatively on societal, institutional and personal aspects of children's development. However, when children are supported through family‐centred, relationship‐focused, strengths‐based services, they can engage more fully in the institutions and social situations of their daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a microhistorical lens on the prison of 's‐Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, this article focuses on practices and regulations concerning mothers and children and ideas about motherhood and practices of care to show how different powers intersected and were 'at work' within the prison. Analysing the decision‐making, discourses and practices the authorities used to exert power over criminalised women and their children, this article argues that the prison policy was not designed to care for or protect mothers and children. On the contrary, it led to the deaths of many infants incarcerated with their mothers. Moreover, it paradoxically deprived incarcerated women of one of the pillars of nineteenth‐century bourgeois femininity: motherhood. The mothers, however, actively resisted and negotiated the prison's power mechanisms to create opportunities to care for their children and influence their fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aims to explore the impact of imprisonment of one of the parents on children, by analyzing the psychological, economic, and social effects they face, in addition to evaluating the role of family and community support in mitigating these effects. The importance of the research lies in understanding how imprisonment affects children's lives, and highlighting the need for effective strategies to support them and provide the necessary assistance to improve their conditions. The problem of the study is the major challenges that children face as a result of the imprisonment of one of the parents, which range from deep psychological effects, such as anxiety and depression, to the negative impact on the economic situation of the family and the social relationships of children. It is necessary to address these problems by providing appropriate support and the necessary assistance to improve the quality of life of affected children. The study reached a set of conclusions and recommendations aimed at improving the conditions of children affected by the imprisonment of one of the parents. The conclusions include the importance of providing psychological and educational support, the need to enhance financial assistance, and the importance of community awareness to reduce social stigma. The main recommendations include developing psychological support programs, improving access to educational resources, and enhancing cooperation between local institutions to provide comprehensive support for children. In general, the study highlights the need for concerted efforts to improve the lives of children affected by the imprisonment of a parent, through effective family and community support, which contributes to enhancing their ability to adapt and deal with the challenges they face. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal of this study is to examine the association between parental incarceration and parent–youth closeness. Background: Despite the established complex repercussions of incarceration for relationships between adults, and the well‐known intergenerational consequences of parental incarceration, little is known about how incarceration structures intergenerational relationships between parents and children. Methods: In this article, I use data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3408), a cohort of children followed over a 15‐year period, to examine how parental incarceration is associated with relationships between youth and their (incarcerated and nonincarcerated) parents. Results: Results suggest three conclusions. First, parental incarceration is negatively associated with closeness between youth and their incarcerated parents. Second, the timing of first parental incarceration is important. Parental incarceration in early or middle childhood is negatively associated with closeness between youth and their incarcerated parent, and parental incarceration in adolescence is positively associated with closeness between youth and their nonincarcerated parent. Third, relationships between parents themselves explain some of the association between paternal incarceration in early childhood and father–youth closeness. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings advance our understanding of both the relational and intergenerational consequences of criminal legal contact and our understanding of the correlates of parent–youth relationships and, in doing so, highlights how family ecological contexts contribute to inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study seeks to document the long‐term effects of parental incarceration on life course by interviewing adults who had a parent incarcerated when they were a child. Background: An exponential increase in incarceration in the late 20th century has produced many adverse effects and increased social disadvantage for families and communities. From the life course perspective, parental incarceration is argued to be a detrimental experience in numerous ways. Methods: This study utilizes (N = 31) in‐depth qualitative interviews with adult respondents in California who experienced parental incarceration at some point in their life. The study uses descriptive phenomenology to examine the effects of parental incarceration on life course. Results: The themes discussed in this study are financial and emotional strain, residential instability, and the transference of stigma. Financial strain and residential instability were associated with many negative effects for children of incarcerated parents. Participants recalled such experiences as consistently moving residencies, attending multiple schools, homelessness and inability to attend school, and lack of household resources. The transference of stigma occurred when a parent's record became a representation of a child's moral worth. Interviewees reported feeling or experiencing stigmatization, in social and professional settings, due to their parent's incarceration or criminal record. Conclusion: This study illuminates how the life course experience of parental incarceration can have significant long‐term impacts on children, potentially placing them at risk. Documenting the intergenerational impacts of mass incarceration on children and families is of societal importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been argued that the social circumstances of many children of prisoners goes against established principles of social justice. In this paper the proper allocation of responsibility for remedying this social injustice is discussed. Through a discussion of four principles for allocating remedial responsibility, it is argued that the responsibility for children of incarcerated parents is shared among several actors, including the incarcerated parent, remaining caregivers, prison officials, social work professionals, and, to some extent, members of the wider community. While incarcerated parents are partially responsible for remedying the harm caused to their children, prison officials have the responsibility to uphold the types of prison conditions under which incarcerated parents are able to fulfill their responsibilities to their children and socially contribute to their well-being. Similarly, whereas the main responsibility to care for the children of incarcerated parents falls on the caregivers (such as the remaining parent or other family relatives), states are at the same time responsible for implementing social welfare policies of the sort that can help caregivers fulfill their responsibilities for the well-being of these children. As for individual members of the wider community, they have an obligation not to contribute to the stigmatization and marginalization of the families of incarcerated individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children of incarcerated parents experience a range of vulnerabilities which have led to them being dubbed the 'invisible victims' of the criminal justice system. This article discusses the needs of children with incarcerated parents using recent literature describing children's experiences during prison visitation suspensions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We then critically examine the human rights-based communications framework, as well as the challenges faced by children of incarcerated parents, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). We recommend corrective services around Australia retain alternative contact methods and consider introducing in-cell communication technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bylye Gody is the property of Cherkas Global University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mothers with a mental illness are a relatively invisible cohort within the criminal justice system. Research typically focuses in a siloed way on imprisoned women with a mental illness or those who have children; despite considerable crossover, knowledge about women who straddle this divide is missing. To address this gap, this article draws on data gathered for an Australian Research Council funded study conducted from 2011 to 2015, that examined the arrest and imprisonment of primary carers, and the implications for children. An exploratory mixed methods approach, using structured interviews, was implemented. This article focuses on how 21 mothers with a mental illness navigate the criminal justice system in the state of Victoria, finding that failing to consider the intersection between motherhood and mental illness has significant consequences for this group of mothers. Notably, mental illness creates a barrier to engagement and participation at key decision-making points early in the criminal justice system—particularly at arrest and sentencing where it remains largely invisible. Findings highlight the need to expand gender responsive practice beyond prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults often respond negatively toward children with incarcerated parents. Yet, the developmental foundations for such negativity remain unclear. Two studies (N = 331 U.S. residents; plurality White; plurality male; data collected between Winter 2019 and Spring 2021) addressed this topic. Study 1 probed 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds' and 7‐ to 8‐year‐olds' inferences about peers with and without incarcerated parents. Children reported less certainty that peers with, versus without, incarcerated parents possess moral beliefs. Study 2 showed that among older children, inferences about parental absence did not fully account for this pattern of results. Across studies, children behaved less generously toward peers with, versus without, incarcerated parents. These studies illuminate how early socio‐moral judgment may contribute to negativity toward children with incarcerated parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental incarceration in the United States has drastically increased since the 1980s. As there is much stigma around incarceration and the majority of incarcerated individuals are parents, it is important to identify the effects of this form of parent-child separation. I argue that parental incarceration is in many cases a secretive form of separation, and this is mostly due to protective efforts of gatekeepers and the stigma associated with the incarceration. I also argue that children of incarcerated parents seek information and sometimes reconnect with their parent using online platforms such as Google. Utilizing qualitative in-depth interviews from children of incarcerated parents (N = 31), I identify the possible negative effects of secrecy on children of incarcerated parents, and discuss cases in which children grow up and use "Google" to reclaim truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined early childhood paternal incarceration (PI; birth to Age 6) effects on children's elementary reading achievement (i.e., Ages 8–10) as mediated by mothers' supportive caregiving and moderated by child gender. Background: Extant research on PI has primarily focused on child behavioral problems. However, less is known about specific relations between PI and academic achievement. Method: Participants were drawn from an ongoing, longitudinal study of development using a subsample of 180 children and their maternal caregivers (51.5% female children; 48.9% Latinx; 26.7% experienced PI). Study variables were assessed using semi‐structured incarceration interviews, observational parenting tasks, and standardized achievement tests. A moderated mediation analysis evaluated the hypothesized model by child gender. Results: PI predicted decreased maternal supportive caregiving, which, in turn, predicted lower reading achievement, even when family socioeconomic status, child ethnicity‐race, prior supportive caregiving, prior reading achievement, and maternal psychopathology were held constant. Further, a moderation analysis indicated that the relation between maternal supportive caregiving and reading achievement was moderated by child gender. Conclusion: This investigation revealed a significant and negative indirect effect of early childhood PI on children's reading achievement via changes in maternal supportive caregiving. However, this indirect effect was significant for boys only. Implications: These findings highlight the potential for interventions and resources that promote supportive maternal caregiving to mitigate the deleterious effects of PI on children's reading achievement, especially for boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prison visits are recognised as an important feature of a humane prison system, providing important benefits for prisoners and their family in maintaining ties (McCarthy and Adams, 2017). Scotland has a history of penal welfarism and a right-based agenda in relation to visits (McCarthy and Adams, 2017); however, there is a lack of research that focuses on visits in the context of Scottish prisons. Equally, there is limited research that considers the perspective of children visiting a parent in custody. This paper explores the experiences of children visiting a parent in prison in Scotland, highlighting lessons for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lubelski Rocznik Pedagogiczny is the property of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Measures taken by governments to address COVID-19 in prisons, have impacted significantly on the lives and rights of children. There has been consequential interference with children's rights to family life and to contact with a parent from whom they have been separated. Since the onset of the pandemic, prisoners in many jurisdictions have lived under restricted regimes with almost universal bans on family visits. Children have not had face-to-face contact with their imprisoned parents, and alternate forms of contact have not always been available to them. Using survey and interview data collected during lockdowns in the UK and Australia, we consider the implications of the interference with the rights of children with an imprisoned parent. Focusing on their relationships, health and wellbeing and using the concept of symbiotic harms, we note how children's experiences of the cessation of contact interacted with parents' and caregivers' experiences, amplifying the harms to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]