Beyond the Bars II Who Are the Children of Incarcerated Parents? Charlene Wear Simmons, Ph.D. Acting...
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Transcript of Beyond the Bars II Who Are the Children of Incarcerated Parents? Charlene Wear Simmons, Ph.D. Acting...
Beyond the Bars II
Who Are the Children of Incarcerated Parents?
Charlene Wear Simmons, Ph.D.Acting Interim Director
September 23, 2008
C A L I F O R N I A R E S E A R C H B U R E A U
2
Presentation Outline
• Data about incarcerated parents and their children
• Focus on parental arrest
• Impact on children
• Local partnerships to ensure that children are safe and cared for by appropriate caregivers.
3
Who is Responsible for the Safety and Well-being of the Children?
• Few law enforcement agencies require officers to ask about children at the time of parental arrest
• Social welfare agencies may not respond to a parent’s arrest, or know how to locate a parent in prison or arrange for a family visit.
• Children can fall through the cracks, be traumatized and left in unsafe situations.
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Children’s Stories
• Amanda: “My sister is 11. It (Mother’s arrest) affects her so much, she’s gone to mental hospitals, she’s tried to kill herself.”
• Dave: “I was 9 when my mom got arrested. The police came and took her…and just left us here.”
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Rising Incarceration Rate
6
More Adults Under Correctional Supervision
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California Adult Prisoners, 2008
Parole 33%
Jail 22%
Prison 45%
Source: Ca.Dept. Corrections & Rehabilitation
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California State Prisons
• Cost: $9.7 billion for prisoners and parolees in Fiscal Year 2007-08
• Average sentence: 4 years
• Average time served: 2 years
• Average prisoner’s reading level: 7th grade
• 69% from So. Cal, 11% Bay Area, 20% rest of state.
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Most CA State Prisoners are Male
Female7%
Male93%
Source: Ca Dept. Corrections & Rehabilitation, 2008
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Prison/Jail is a Revolving Door
• Nearly 650,000 prisoners are released yearly from state and federal prisons
• Over 50% nationwide are in legal trouble within 3 years
• In CA, 2/3 of state prisoners fail parole and are returned to prison
• Children experience repeated trauma of arrest and separation
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Parental Problems Affect Children
Major Problems of Parents Incarcerated in State Prisons by Gender, 2004
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
SubstanceAbuse
MentalHealth
Homeless Phy/SexualAbuse
Incarcerated Mothers
Incarcerated Fathers
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Many Children Are AffectedParents in State & Federal Prisons &
Their Minor Children
Adult Prisoners
Minor Children
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
1991 1997 1999 2004 2007
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008
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• Around 9% of CA children have a parent in prison, jail, on parole or probation
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Minority Kids are Over-Represented
Ethnicity of Minor Children with Parents in State and Federal
Prison, 2007
White30%
Black48%
Hispanic22%
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008
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Children of Inmates Are Young
Age of Children with Incarcerated Parents
2%
20%
36%
28%
14%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Under 1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-17Years Old
Perc
en
t
Source: Urban Institute, 2003
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Parent and Grandparent Caregivers
Current Caregivers of Children with Parents in State Prison, 2004
84%
15%
6%3% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Other Parent Grandparent OtherRelatives
Foster Care Friends
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008
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Contact Helps Parents and Children• 75% parents incarcerated in state prisons report
some contact with their children 70% have received a letter
• Over half received a phone call • 42% had a personal visit
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Parental Arrest Affects the Most Children
• 1 in 5 children
whose mother is
arrested witnesses
the event, the others
imagine
Arrest
Prison and Parole
Jail and Probation
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The Children Can Be “Invisible” When Parents are Arrested
• Law enforcement officers are focused on making a safe arrest, may leave the children unattended
• Arrested parents may not mention their children for fear of involving child welfare and having their parental rights terminated
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Children May be Left Without Care or in Unsafe Situations
• “Dave” I was nine when my mom got arrested. The police
came and took her…and just left us here. For two or three weeks, I took care of my one-year-old brother and myself…[My Mom’s] friend across the street…figured out something was wrong.. [and] called CPS…”
• Megan Mendez, left at age 3 with abusive neighbors in Modesto by her arrested mother, was murdered
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Children Experience Higher Rates of Mental Health Problems
• Separation and attachment disorders
• Developmental regression
• Depression and withdrawal
• Shame due to stigma
• Grief at loss of parent, abandonment
• Anxiety and hyper-arousal
• Trauma
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Significant Behavioral Impacts Absent Positive Intervention
• Physical aggression
• Attention disorder
• Difficulty sleeping
• Acting out inappropriately
• Anti-social behavior
• Violent, even delinquent behavior
• Substance abuse
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Potential Negative Impacts on School Performance
• Attention Deficit
• Learning Disabilities
• Diminished academic performance
• Aggression or withdrawal due to stigma
• Low level of educational attainment
• Truancy
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Intergeneration Problems Point to Need for Positive Intervention
• A parental history of criminality is a strong risk factor for juvenile delinquency
• Half of parents incarcerated in state prisons have an incarcerated relative (most often a brother or father)
• One third of parents in prison report that their parents abused drugs or alcohol
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Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Intervene in the same Families
• Nationally, the criminal justice system has intervened in at least 1 in 3 families with which child welfare agencies have had contact.
• 25% dependent children in San Francisco are impacted by parental incarceration
• Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Agencies Need to Partner for the Children
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Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights
• 1. I have the right TO BE KEPT SAFE AND INFORMED AT THE TIME OF MY PARENT’S ARREST.
• 3. I have the right TO BE WELL CARED FOR IN MY PARENT’S ABSENCE.
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