Temporary Single Parenthood--The Case of Prisoners' Families

The effect of maternal incarceration on adult offspring involvement in the criminal justice system

“…Emotional problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem have been reported among children of incarcerated parents (Boswell & Wedge, 2002;Braman, 2002;Dalley, 2002;L. T. Fishman, 1990;Fritsch & Burkhead, 1981;Lowenstein, 1986;Sack, 1977;Sack, Seidler, & Thomas, 1976;Sharp & Marcus-Mendoza, 2001;Sharp et al, 1999;Stanton, 1980). In addition, school-related difficulties and other maladaptive behaviors, such as running away, substance abuse, and aggressive/antisocial behavior, have been linked to parental incarceration (Bloom & Steinhart, 1993;Boswell & Wedge, 2002;Fritsch & Burkhead, 1981;Jose-Kampfner, 1995;Lowenstein, 1986;Sack, 1977;Sharp et al, 1999).…”

“…The research that has been done does suggest that children of incarcerated parents are more likely to self-report involvement in delinquency (Gabel & Shindledecker, 1993;Hungerford, 1993;Lowenstein, 1986) and to indicate that they had been arrested as juveniles (Johnston, 1995;Myers, Smarsh, Amlund-Hagen, & Kennon, 1999;Sharp & MarcusMendoza, 2001). Most recently, Murray and Farrington (2005), in their analyses of a sample of boys from London, linked parental imprisonment to a ten-fold increase in the chances for child antisocial personality disorders at age thirty-two, and parental incarceration also significantly increased the chances for juvenile conviction and adult incarceration.…”

Methodological Concerns in the Study of Intergenerational Transmission of Criminal Behavior and Children of Incarcerated Parents

“…When a child is separated from a parent, regardless of the circumstances, there is a loss that can generate stress, sadness, fear, loneness and a host of other emotions. According to Lowenstein [17], 40% of children with incarcerated parents experienced emotional and health problems, which included frequent nightmares and fear of darkness that denote a fear of isolation from others. While the death of a parent is permanent, studies have shown that children of incarcerated parents suffer what is termed as an "ambiguous loss."…”

Colour me father: Lived experiences of incarcerated fathers in northern British Columbia.

“…In most cases, along with even greater social marginalization, women must assume new caretaking burdens as they struggle with the complications of navigating the criminal justice system, and with being alert to the ever present danger of apprehension of their children by child welfare agencies (Arditti, Lambert-Shute, & Joest, 2003;Carlson & Cervera, 1992;Comfort, 2003;Reynolds, 2008;Richie, 2002). A father's incarceration forces the mother into an involuntary, temporary, state of single parenthood (Arditti, 2005;Ferraro, Johson, Jorgensen, & Bolton, 1983;Lowenstein, 1986). The single mother is now solely responsible for their children (Fishman, 1990).…”

“…The single mother is now solely responsible for their children (Fishman, 1990). This change in the family has significant impacts on children who struggle to adapt (Bayes, 2009;Bernstein, 2005;Boswell & Wedge, 2002;Braman, 2002;Carlson & Cervera, 1992;Fishman, 1982;Hairston, 2003;Lowenstein, 1986;Seymour, 2001). These impacts on children will be discussed further in the following literature review.…”