Responding to the Needs of Children and Families of Prisoners: Implications for Public Health

The last 3 years have brought a dramatic shift in the field for those working with children and families of the incarcerated. A population that was, not so long ago, hidden or invisible is now the center of much discussion and concern. The impact of parental incarceration on children has been addressed on the U.S. Senate floor, in airline magazines, at hosts of professional conferences and on children's television programs. The bulging prison walls have created collateral consequences previously unrecognized on a significant scale. These consequences are beginning to influence policies in law enforcement protocols, child support enforcement and correctional visitation. Advocacy initiatives have begun in communities, states and nationally, to encourage those in the systems serving children and families of the incarcerated to evaluate programs and practices to better serve the population.

Honoring the significance of the incarcerated parent to the child, poses challenges to the development of both policy and practice as concern for and services to the children of the incarcerated continue to proliferate. The focus of funding and program development is on programs and initiatives that assist children in managing in the absence of the parent child relationship. Little attention has been paid to the issue of trauma and attachment disruption to inform the development of programs and practices that maintain, mend or make relationships between children and their incarcerated parents. This workshop will focus on the impact of parental incarceration on the parent –child relationship in the context of goals for programs, practice and policy.