Young children’s contact with their parents in jail and child behavior problems

Pritzl, Kaitlyn; Milavetz, Zoe; Cuthrell, Hilary; Muentner, Luke; Poehlmann, Julie

doi:10.1080/10509674.2021.2018381

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…That said, adults described having had opportunities for continued parent–child contact throughout the prison sentence as potentially buffering some of these negative responses. For example, children in this sample, similar to those in other studies (e.g., Pritzl et al, 2022), seemed to fair better when they had more frequent and open contact with their incarcerated fathers. Opportunities for contact offers parents and children a chance to maintain (or potentially rebuild) relationships during the imprisonment in preparation for the eventual release and family reunification.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Family reunification after fathers are released from prison: Perspectives on children's adjustment

Muentner

Charles

2022

Family Relations

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Objective: This qualitative study examined adult perspectives on the adjustments children face through the process of paternal incarceration and eventual release. Background: While the United States leads the world in incarceration, 95% of imprisoned individuals return to community life. Despite poor outcomes for children with incarcerated fathers, less is known as to how they fair after fathers' release. Conceptualizing paternal incarceration and reentry as linked rather than disparate events, this study examines perspectives on family separation, reunification, and children's adjustment when fathers return from prison. Method: The sample consisted of 38 participants (19 previously incarcerated fathers, nine coparenting mothers, and 10 relatives) who shared perspectives on 63 children's adjustments. The semistructured interviews were analyzed via thematic analysis. Results: Two main themes were evident: (a) Paternal incarceration has a lasting toll on children that complicates reunification processes, introduces hurdles to maintaining togetherness, and is tied to changes in children's behaviors; and (b) reentry renews opportunity for father involvement that bolsters resilience despite ongoing systemic vulnerabilities. Conclusion: Postrelease family reunification may present challenges for children's adjustment, though supported transitions may curb some concerns. The findings call for strengths-oriented, needs-focused, and evidence-based reentry strategies that support entire family systems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Family reunification after fathers are released from prison: Perspectives on children's adjustment

Muentner

Charles

2022

Family Relations

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“…As such, extended contact visits can help buffer against some of the emotional and behavioral consequences of parental incarceration and disrupted attachment relationships (Arditti, 2008; Charles et al, 2021; Poehlmann‐Tynan & Pritzl, 2019; Poehlmann‐Tynan et al, 2015). Noncontact visits (i.e., those conducted through video platforms or plastic barriers) have been found to result in negative experiences for parents and children, and to lead parents to perceive lower parent–child closeness and more child behavioral challenges during visits (Beckmeyer & Arditti, 2014; Pritzl et al, 2022). Noncontact visit settings are generally not conducive to high‐quality visits and interactions, particularly with young children who struggle to filter out the ongoing visits of other families next to them (Poehlmann‐Tynan et al, 2015).…”

Section: The Role Of Policy In Shaping Mass (Parental) Incarceration ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Policy in Shaping and Addressing the Consequences of Parental Incarceration for Child Development in the United States

Mihalec-Adkins¹,

Shlafer

2022

Social Policy Report

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The U.S. has seen a more than five-fold increase in the number of children who experience the incarceration of a parent, such that now 7% of all U.S. children have been impacted. Parental incarceration has been linked to an array of consequences for children's development and well-being, spanning most developmental domains and all developmental stages. The overarching goal of this report is to briefly summarize the associations between parental incarceration and adverse outcomes across various aspects of child well-being and development (Section I), and to discuss the role of policy (Section II) in both contributing to mass parental incarceration in the U.S. (Section II.A.) and addressing the many impacts of parental incarceration in the U.S. on child well-being and development (Section II.B.). Throughout this report, we acknowledge impacts and additional considerations related to families of color, who are disproportionately affected by incarceration and associated policies.

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“…Others have reported how incarcerated persons have lower rates of recidivism (or return to jail or prison) and decreased stress if family ties are maintained through family visits (Martin & Phaneuf, 2018). More recent evidence found that frequent parent child visits in jails that offered both on-site video and Plexiglas visits resulted in fewer child externalizing problems, but jails with only Plexiglas visits resulted in more externalizing behaviors (Pritzl et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Devastating…Having My Child on the Opposite Side of a Window”: Family Visiting Experiences and Considerations for Supporting Youths with Incarcerated Parents

Jones,

Keller,

Kelleher

et al. 2024

J Child Fam Stud

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Most people who are incarcerated in the US are parents, yet little is known about the context and experiences of family connection when a parent is incarcerated. This study aims to provide family perspectives and experiences during a parent’s incarceration for providers and organizations to consider when supporting children who have incarcerated parent(s) and their families throughout incarceration. From March to August 2020, we recruited adolescents (12–18 years) who have or had a parent incarcerated, caregivers of children of incarcerated parents, and parents upon one year of release. Families were recruited by emailing flyers to community-based organizations and schools using convenience-based and snowball recruitment methods. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. We interviewed 26 participants: 10 youth, 6 parents released from incarceration in the last year, and 10 caregivers, who mainly resided in the state of Ohio. Three themes emerged during the incarceration phase: the high cost of parental incarceration (financial, emotional, and visiting), barriers to connection (intimidating and strict process, physical barriers, quality of phone calls), and family resource suggestions (age and developmental communication resources, community-based supports, stigma reduction). Families primarily discussed these themes along with the need for additional individual and community-based supports. Findings relay the importance of family-centered interventions during incarceration to reduce barriers to staying connected. We discuss families’ suggestions on supportive services to help the family unit access resources and improve communication during incarceration, to better support the next phase of transition, reintegrating back into society.

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Young children’s contact with their parents in jail and child behavior problems

Cited by 6 publications

References 33 publications

Family reunification after fathers are released from prison: Perspectives on children's adjustment

Family reunification after fathers are released from prison: Perspectives on children's adjustment

The Role of Policy in Shaping and Addressing the Consequences of Parental Incarceration for Child Development in the United States

“Devastating…Having My Child on the Opposite Side of a Window”: Family Visiting Experiences and Considerations for Supporting Youths with Incarcerated Parents

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