Parental Rights of Incarcerated Mothers with Children in Foster Care: A Policy Vacuum

Halperin, Ronnie; Harris, Jennifer L.

doi:10.2307/20458967

Cited by 22 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Their increases in parent-child relationship quality increase in magnitude when you consider the different types of contact they may utilize. Previous research suggested that mothers were more likely to have decreases in relationship quality due to separation from children (Halperin & Harris, 2004), so the ability that prison visitation may have to greatly increase levels of relationship quality for mothers is important. Future research should consider examining separate models for mothers and fathers to determine if contact has a larger impact on relationship quality for mothers than for fathers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The differential effects of prison contact on parent–child relationship quality and child behavioral changes

Haverkate

Wright

2018

Corrections

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While incarceration can be detrimental for inmates, the children of prisoners can suffer from behavioral issues, poor school performance, and a higher risk of crime and delinquency across the life-course. Separation from one's family is part of what makes incarceration a punishment, but what can be done to ensure that this punishment has the least harmful effect on children? Prison visitation presents an intriguing opportunity to lessen the potential harms of parental incarceration. Using data from the Arizona Prison Visitation Project (APVP), the current study focuses on inmates who were parents to minor children and seeks to determine: 1) do different types and different amounts of prison contact (in-person, phone, and mail) correlate with changes in the quality of parent-child relationships and 2) does a change in parent-child relationship quality correlate with a change in child behavior. The results from the analysis suggest that visitation and mail contact are associated with positive increases in parent-child relationship quality. Also, positive changes in parent-child relationship quality were associated with a decrease in the odds of children having behavioral problems during incarceration. This study provides some support for the ability that prison contact can have to increase relationship quality, which in turn, may decrease the presence of behavioral issues in the children of incarcerated parents. Future directions in policy should consider measures to subsidize or refund contact costs, encourage contact between parents and their children, and involve children in in-prison programming designed to improve contact and relationships between parents and their children.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The differential effects of prison contact on parent–child relationship quality and child behavioral changes

Haverkate

Wright

2018

Corrections

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“…The difficult early life of many incarcerated mothers, coupled with their current circumstances, can often have a negative impact on a woman's self-esteem (Houck & Loper, 2002;van Wormer & Kaplan, 2006). When a mother is in prison, her difficulties can be exacerbated by the loss of influence in her children's lives (Halperin & Harris, 2004). Limited contact and few, if any, visits with her children contribute to stress (Houck & Loper, 2002;Warren et al, 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rights of women as parents are compromised when child protection and correctional agencies offer no assistance to mothers of children in foster care (Halperin & Harris, 2004). Shifting the focus away from reunification of families, the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 placed priority on the safety of children with a history of abuse or neglect-a worthy goal.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women serving longer prison sentences may therefore not have the chance to work toward reunification. Research that highlights the negative consequences for children of women in prison is beginning to garner the attention of correctional and child welfare agencies and underscores the importance of identifying and serving children who have an incarcerated parent (Dallaire, 2007;Halperin & Harris, 2004).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mothers in Prison: Maintaining Connections with Children

Mignon

Ransford

2012

Social Work in Public Health

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The significant increase in the number of incarcerated women ensures that many children must live without their mothers for some period of time. Women in prison were interviewed about their efforts to maintain relationships with their children. Mail and telephone contacts were more frequent than actual visits. Almost one half of mothers had never received a visit from their children. This article identifies challenges to the development and maintenance of contact between incarcerated mothers and their children. Recommendations are made for correctional agencies to enhance opportunities for incarcerated mothers to foster positive connections with their children.

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“…There is a cycle of failure at work here, with the children of prisoners at high risk of growing up to become prisoners as well ( [2]; see also [8]). But those who escape that cycle report that their parents, whether they have been incarcerated or not, can be pillars of strength that provide motivation for inmates to reform their lives.…”

Section: Love Poemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposed Yet Unrevealed: Reflections on the Poetry of Women Prisoners

Brooks

Johnson

2010

Gend. Issues

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Women comprise a small but rapidly growing proportion of prisoners incarcerated in countries around the world. Research shows that women experience prison differently than men, primarily due to the extent that personal relationships (both inside and outside prison) shape the culture and climate of women's prisons. However, the literature does not adequately address women's perspectives on their unique prison experiences. Prisoners' poetry is a rich and largely untapped source of information that offers nuanced views of crime, punishment, and prison life. This research employs poetry written by female prisoners as a medium from which to learn about their lives in prison. The poems selected in this sample reflect a number of themes involving the common feelings of pain and loneliness, the routine of prison life, traumatic pre-incarceration experiences, and family issues. These themes are then compared with themes found in poetry written by male prisoners.Keywords Women Á Prisons Á Poetry Á AdjustmentThe subject of our research is poetry by female prisoners dealing with some aspect of their experience of crime or punishment, particularly their experience of life in prison. We began with a universe of over 500 poems that we found on the Internet or in books and magazines following a series of routine word-based searches. These A. Brooks (

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Parental Rights of Incarcerated Mothers with Children in Foster Care: A Policy Vacuum

Cited by 22 publications

References 3 publications

The differential effects of prison contact on parent–child relationship quality and child behavioral changes

The differential effects of prison contact on parent–child relationship quality and child behavioral changes

Mothers in Prison: Maintaining Connections with Children

Exposed Yet Unrevealed: Reflections on the Poetry of Women Prisoners

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