Parental incarceration is the state by which a parent is detained in prison away from their children. This act has been on the rise in recent years and it does not only affect the arrested person but also their children, family and other people they associate with closely. There is evidence of increased parental incarceration and this has brought about much suffering on children whom their parents are detained. Mass imprisonment in the United States mostly affects African American population and the recent policies have led to a bigger number of women who are serving jail terms. Such policies assume guardianship over the children’s’ grandparents. Children of such parents become exposed to mental health issues, poor performance at school and general problems in their behavior as discussed hereinafter.
Parental imprisonment highly affects a child’s welfare. It is obvious that children do not have the capacity to suffer the loss of a parent. Most of them get depressed and start performing poorly at school and in worst circumstances; they might opt to use drugs. However, there are differences when it comes to the sex of the person being detained. In the U.S., the number of imprisoned men who are parents is higher than the number of the women. Women can however be allowed to have custody of their young ones in certain circumstances while in prison but men are denied such privileges. The impact on the child however remains the same whether either of the parents is incarcerated.
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Most of the women detained in prison consist of black- American and Hispanic women (Roxburgh & MacArthur, 2014). Racial discrimination continues to play a part because the prisons consist of less numbers of white Americans put in detention for similar offences. The number of the detained male prisoners is higher than that of the female prisoners. Research has it that incarcerated African-American mothers are members of low-income social class with most of them having two children and one child below 18 years of age. Such women have been found to be single parents without employment. Most of them hold impoverished social positions. They are among the poorest, socially stigmatized and least educated individuals.
Detention of a parent puts children at a risk of negative outcomes. Some factors that result from having a detained parent include poverty, increased rates of violence, lack of education and physical and mental health problems. Such children are more likely to be incarcerated during their late lives. The lack of the child-parent causal relationship exposes such children to violence, drug and alcohol abuse and family instability. Children might be forced to be moved to a different environment to stay with relatives especially in cases where the mother is detained. Such children might be under stress that leads to poor academic performance and affects their mental health. A child’s life gets disrupted because not all children are allowed to visit their incarcerated parents. Because of stigma and social isolation, such children become victimized and might drop out of school when they do not get enough social support.
In conclusion, parental incarceration has brought about devastating effects to the general functioning of the affected families. The social and cognitive development in children is highly affected. The fact that a child is separated from their parents compromises their life chances and affects their well-being. Such children must get support from the society by being taken through cancelling and programs that help them develop their character. Parental imprisonment does not only affect the parent but also the family that depend on them for survival. The trauma faced by children when their parents are being arrested makes it hard for them to cope knowing that their parent is in jail. Such circumstances can lead to divorce as the parent left behind might get impatient and decide to move on before their partner completes their jail term. Children might find it difficult to incorporate parents who have been jailed for a long period back in their lives.
References
Roxburgh, S., & MacArthur, K. R. (2014). Childhood adversity and adult depression among the incarcerated: differential exposure and vulnerability by race/ethnicity and gender. Child abuse & neglect , 38 (8), 1409-1420.
