Providing alternative therapies accustomed to address the risk factors associated with the imprisoned patents' children is critical to tackling issues attributed to social and criminal justice. Focused therapies incorporate the provision services such as education and risk factor assessment to improve its effectiveness in addressing the issues affecting children with imprisoned parentages. As such, if children of incarcerated parents were provided more focused therapies, then the risk factors associated with entering the system themselves would be reduced.
Children with incarcerated parents ought to receive trauma-focused therapies because there is a significantly high number of children affected, and imprisonment of their parents impacts their emotions negatively. According to Robinson and Landrum (2013), children affected by parental imprisonment develop symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an identity crisis scuffle leading to an elongated psychological and emotional dysfunction. Unaddressed unstable emotions among incarcerated parents' children act as a risk factor that can lead to violence and a ticket to the criminal justice system. Therefore, the implementation of the trauma-focused therapy acts as a mitigation measure to the risk factors before escalation and admittance to the criminal justice system.
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Incarcerated parents' children are predisposed to social and economic issues that contribute to the risk factors of admission to the system in the future and may cause long term emotional and psychological functioning. There is a 75 percent probability of the children getting booked into the criminal justice system if adequate mitigating measures are not implanted (Morgan-Mullane, 2018). Moreover, the primacy of parental imprisonment has been allied to the increased homeless levels in America. As such, the incorporation focused therapy as an intervention measure facilitates earlier interception to address the social and economic needs of the children before they become risk factors that could lead them to jail.
There exists data that correlates the prevalence of imprisonment of parents with the rate the risk factors affects the children. The rate of parental imprisonment in the United States affects more than 2 million children who have one or both parents imprisoned at state or federal facilities, whereas local jails detain more parents together with those attached to corrective measures such as probation and parole (Casey, Shlafer and Masten, 2015). It contributed to the doubling of incarcerated parents' children between 1991 and 2007, where 60 percent of the children are aged from 5 years to 14 years. Thus, the incarceration of parents affects a significantly large number of children who are underdeveloped and had formed connections with their parents. The separation contributes to the development of PTSD symptoms and trauma.
Another reason for providing incarcerated parents' children with focused therapy is to uphold the social justice principles establish and expected from society. Hibbert (2017) reiterates that the fundamental opinion for the vulnerable and the poor, dignity of the human race and the primacy of the common good are some of the principles of social justice. These principles aim at addressing social and economic issues affecting a given population such as incarcerated parents' children, advocates upholding their dignity and the primacy of the common good. The implementation of focused therapy to address the affected children's trauma and PTSD symptoms is an incentive towards achieving these principles of social justice.
Existing cultural and diversity issues affecting parental imprisonment also play a crucial role in influencing the prevalence of risk factors among the affected children. The current disparities in parental incarceration in terms of gender as 92 percent of paternal incarceration is experienced as compared to maternal imprisonment. Given fathers are the primary breadwinners in most families, especially among the minority communities, the children are affected by homelessness, poor academic performance, home instability and food uncertainty (Tadros et al. 2019). The issues raised by the existing disparities fuel the risk factors and increase the probability of engaging in crime to fend for their basic needs.
Addressing parental incarceration issues within society creates a positive perception of the affected children and how they choose to lead their lives. Morgan-Mullane (2018) say that the utilization of focused therapy models as an intervention measure provides a community-based solution regarding how PTSD symptoms and trauma are attributed to the ethnic and cultural background as well as the perceptions within the community. Addressing parental incarceration included addressing mass incarceration, and the intervention consists of facilitating the downsizing of jails and prisons (Grattet & Bird, 2018). Therefore, addressing issues associated with parental imprisonment creates a positive impact on society in general.
The empirical evidence on focused therapy as an intervention measure shows how parental incarceration, among other factors, contributes to the development of trauma among the affected children and the impact of the focused therapy. The adoption of focused therapy models facilitates the identification of various origins of trauma in a child's life and how parental incarceration instigates increased development of PTSD symptoms and trauma in their lives (Morgan-Mullane, 2018). Other factors that can be associated with increased adverse emotional effects include racism, housing uncertainty, and financial instability, among others (Tadros et al. 2019). Therefore, these factors play a crucial role in establishing risk factors in their children with imprisoned parents' lives.
Having conceptualized how parental imprisonment contributed to the risk factors among the affected children, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) offers solutions that adequately address their trauma and PTSD symptoms. Morgan-Mullane (2018) explains that the TF-CBT model involves family therapy delivered according to the community settings, such as their ethnic and cultural diversity issues, which are understood to establish the background of the client. These factors are integrated to form a background profile that is best suited to identify various sources of trauma and PTSD symptoms to allow the affected person to speak and get comfortable with them in minimizing their effects. If an individual shows severe symptoms, additional treatment can be recommended.
The branches of the criminal justice system have also contributed to the prevalence of risk factors associated with parental detainment. The criminal justice system provides criminal information to the public in a measure to mitigate further crime after incarceration (Meyers, 2018). However, the availability of criminal records allows employers to screen before offering a position in their organization, which limits the possibility of parents with criminal records to get employment. As such, it renders incarcerated parents unemployed even a year after release, thereby further exposing the children to the risk factors caused by social and economic issues.
However, social and criminal justice theories, including the 2005 landmark case of the Supreme Court United States v. Booker influences how parental imprisonment is perceived. Third-party groups, including children with imprisoned parentage, are informed on the development of their parents' case, including their sentencing, parole, plea and release empowered by the statutory provision 'Crime Victim's Rights' (Boudin, 2013, p. 95). The criminal sentencing guideline procedures that were initially established as mandatory by the Federal Sentencing Act were reviewed using the United States v. Booker case in 2005 and now used as an advisory, therefore, institutionalizing family relationships even after the incarceration of parents. The provision allows the incorporation of intervention measures such as alternative therapies allowing mitigation of risk factors with the family, especially the children.
Each branch of the criminal justice system employs various processes that can be used in facilitating social justice in association with parental incarceration (Robinson, 2010). Law enforcement can establish social justice by upholding the code of conduct in law enforcement, protecting human rights and in the provision of services. The courts, on the other hand, can follow the due process and using sentencing guidelines, whereas the correctional facilities can engage in providing education and vocational training, and providing inmate custody and care. These factors can ensure equal treatment by the justice system despite cultural and racial diversity.
Lastly, social and criminal justice is directly affected by socio-cultural factors affecting the family with incarcerated parents. Achieving criminal and social justice is based on perceived justice by a particular community with regard to the established cultural context and social issues (Johnson, Matthews, and Ayers, 2018). Therefore, the ideologies on social justice existing within the society play a crucial role in determining how children with detained parentage would be treated and how the parents would be perceived after serving their sentences.
Conclusion
Focused therapy is an effective initiative in addressing risk factors in incarcerated parents' children. Therefore, its implementation is elaborate in establishing social justice for the affected families and within the society. Various factors contribute to how the effects of parental incarceration are perceived, including the criminal justice system, theories of social and criminal justice, and socio-cultural factors. Focused therapy intervention is an essential measure towards minimizing the risk factors associated with parental incarceration before the children are also admitted to the criminal justice system.
References
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