You brought up a subject that does not get enough attention as it deserves- the affect of incarceration on families. There is always lots of discussion and debate in the media about crime, victims of crime, police, and prisons. I do not think we hear nearly enough about the detrimental affect that incarceration has on families and communities. These effects can be great and long-lasting. Like you mentioned, one negative result is the loss of income from a missing, incarcerated parent. This must, in many cases, have a large, negative affect on families and their economic stability. It is difficult to be a single parent and if a parent is suddenly forced in this position when the other parent gets incarcerated, the family may have to move or drastically change their lifestyle to compensate for the lower income. This loss of income can be extremely damaging to …show more content…
Children need to feel secure and loved and need supervision and guidance. If a parent cannot be present to care for and look after their children, it can cause the child to feel afraid and they may act out or behave in ways that they would not if the parent were living with them. Several studies have found that a significant number of children of incarcerated parents struggle with a variety of childhood problems that have long term implications for adult adjustment (Kjellstrand, 2012). Even if children visit parents in while they are incarcerated, the physical and emotional distance can become a strain on their relationship. I think more should be done to encourage courts to take families into consideration in sentencing and correctional facilities should have better resources for incarcerated parents to maintain healthy relationships with their children. A person should be punished appropriately for the crime they committed but the punishment should not include putting strain or forcing them to severe their relationships with their
Since children are subject to many stages of harm in adult prisons, they are also prone to recidivism, “Those that survive become more dangerous and reoffend at more serious levels very soon after release from prison” (367). Kids who survive prison are often left with psychological damage and resort in behavioral problems which leads them back in prison with no hope of a proper rehabilitation. They say prison is a dangerous cycle. When you are out, you never stay out and the cycle continues because the world does not want you
I also agree that both the person gettin incarcerated, and the family is affected. They miss out on each others lives. Like with Mr. Harris he was in prison for 20 years. Now all of his kids are grown, and he missed out on them growing up. This also puts the mother in a weird position to take care of the children by herself.
“The black family in the age of mass incarceration,” author Ta-Nehisi Coates toss back on the attempt of “The Negros family”, report by the American politician and sociologist Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s have benefactor to reduce America’s mass detainment, bringing about a country with the world’s biggest jail populace and the largest rate of detainment. In this article, he explained about the difficulties of black families about the racism that have continually arisen in times gone by to present day. Moynihan, who was brought up from a broken home and pathological family, had polite intrusion when he wrote the article “The Negros family.” His article argued that the government has disparaged the damage caused to the black family from past few centuries.
Johnston, D. (2012). Services for Children of Incarcerated Parents. Family Court Review, 50, 91-105. The author illustrates how growing up without a parent is hard and children should have services directed towards them to help them cope.
so you see? They've already given up on that child!” (Newjack, page 233). A study done showed that over 40% of inmates end up back in jail (Travis, 2000). A big part of this is poverty.
The article talks about the various ways on how states can allow families to see their loved ones who are incarcerated. One of the main reasons why someone were not able to see their loved one or significant other is because of how far the prison or jail is placed. Every family member is not going to have the chance to go for a visit and this is the cause of families not having the opportunity to connect with them while being incarcerated. There are many people who are incarcerated and would rather be at home with their family. The only thing that they need to do is realize that someone is there to help them get in the community, back with their family.
War on drugs, a campaign for the prohibition of drugs using military aid and military intervention gave birth to mass incarceration. Unfortunately, the consequences of this campaign targeted minorities and people of color, who are in disadvantage. Mass incarceration promotes devastating effects in society, such as racial inequality and poverty. Michelle Alexander, a civil rights litigator and legal scholar is the author of “The New Jim Crow” Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. This book purposed to educate people about of mass incarceration that originated due to the war on the drug's movement, as well as to point out the racist system.
One relationship that is significantly affected by incarceration is the child- father relationship. Connections that were built between a father and his child change and sometimes even are damaged when the father is absent from the home and face to face contact is limited. Overall, children with incarcerated fathers tend to be a fragile population with
But, there seems to be an issue regarding households being fatherless because of incarceration
Imagine being a child imprisoned for committing a crime for which you did not understand the consequences. Alone and afraid, with only hardened criminals and psychopaths as adult role models, you live in fear. Through a vicious combination of physical, sexual, emotional, and mental abuse, there is no option but to turn back to crime as an adult, and continue the cycle. This is a daily reality for thousands of American juveniles. Yet, we continue to call it the juvenile justice system.
They are thrown into a category with all other parents who have had their child or children placed in the foster care system for reasons other that incarceration. This article shows shows how incarcerated mothers are expected to be able to achieve the same steps to rehabilitation as ‘free’ mothers—which is unrealistic. The time frame used is also unfair to incarcerated mothers because sentencing times are often longer then the system is set up for. Parents are required to attend court dates that are twelve months apart from each other and within these twelve months the mother is expected to be able to care for the child or children otherwise her rights as a parent will be terminated. Realistically, a mother that is incarcerated will not be able to have everything sorted within twelve months; therefore, a system other than the foster care systems needs to be put in place for this type of
Granting children, the right to visit their incarcerated mothers is a contentious topic with both sides having strong claims and counterclaims. Terrance Bogans does an outstanding job in his essay, “Being Mommy Behind Bars: The Psychological Benefits of Child Visitation with Incarcerated Mothers” addressing why children should be allowed to visit their incarcerated mothers, citing many reasons and using many argumentative components. Bogans has an explicit thesis in the conclusion “Child visitation must be increased in order to alleviate the psychological strains that take place during incarceration” (15). Bogans uses this clearly stated thesis to tell his main point and to address his opposition. The author’s purpose is to convince readers that children and incarcerated mothers have a right to see each other and no one should stop that.
(The Steep Costs of Keeping Juveniles in Adult Prisons). The adult system is not safe, it doesn 't help the juveniles get better. In fact, it only makes the juveniles become afraid and will have difficulty trusting the
Doing so has had countless adverse effects on the youth. Despite this, many prisons and facilities have turned a blind eye to these negative factors, and continue to plant them in the adult systems. Children should not have to be put in jails and prisons with adults because they have an increased chance of being raped, educational services are often too expensive, and their minds are inclined to becoming mentally unstable, which often leads to suicide. Solutions to these issues include lifting the ban that prevents grants to be awarded to inmates, and abolishing children from adult jail facilities altogether. Conversely, others may argue that these children deserve this treatment, children are becoming more intelligent and know right from wrong, and that these sentences will show others what can potentially happen.
They themselves are victims, who suffer the stigma attached to their parents. Social workers and policy makers should take responsibility for the proper rearing as well as education of children in their homes or foster care centers or inside prison. Family therapy and counseling can be very helpful in improving family environment which will reduce the chances of further exploitation and help the smooth reintegration of prisoners in the society and saving the family system from further