Over two million children have an incarcerated parent in the United States. Similar to foster youth, children with incarcerated parents have a myriad of needs that include safety, love, shelter, food, clothing, and medical care.
These children have real concerns and should be allowed and encouraged to express their concerns and feelings. These youth are often removed from their homes, families, friends, family pets, neighborhoods, and schools. Unfortunately, many children witness the arrest of their parent, which is an extremely traumatic experience.
Children deserve to be treated with respect and should be provided with an age appropriate explanation regarding the situation that includes provisions for their care and well-being during their parent’s incarceration.
Many of these children spend time in a foster or group home during their parent’s incarceration. Some of these children, however, are carelessly left to fend for themselves. These children shouldn’t be forced to feel they are alone in the world. Involved agencies (police, social services, schools, probation officers, etc…) should take the time to ensure the well-being of these youth. Placement with relatives, when viable, can lessen the emotional burden children experience as they are being placed in a familiar environment.
Parental rights terminated
Many women are pregnant at the time of their incarceration and end up giving birth in prison. Too often, a history drug abuse, mental instability, or chronic homelessness may impact their ability to effectively parent the newborn child.
Many of these children are removed from the parent’s care at birth and their parental rights are terminated. When this happens soon after birth, it obviously has less of an immediate emotional impact on the child. When this occurs once the child is old enough to comprehend the totality of the situation, they are often left with many confusing questions, feelings, and disturbing images from courtrooms and other proceedings.
Children as Victims
Children should never be judged based on their parent’s short-comings, as they are the victims. Rather, they deserve respect, to be treated with dignity, and should be recognized as individuals who have the potential to lead positive and productive lives.
These children should be exposed to positive activities such as dancing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, horseback riding, singing, girl or boy scouts, art classes, and more. They need to participate in activities that reinforce the fact they will make it through difficult times and have the right to experience and do wonderful things.
They deserve to know they have the potential to lead fulfilling lives. They need to know they are good people and should not be stigmatized because of their parent’s poor choices and associations. They need to be shown how to invest in life by going to school, participating in positive activities, and by forming connections with caring people.
References
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1430
http://www.now.org/nnt/spring-2010/shackling.html
Holly Smith - Holly Smith, Ph.D., ABD, has been a credentialed school psychologist for the past 10 years, has experience working as a social worker ...
