Beyond the Bars II

Who Are the Children of Incarcerated Parents?

Charlene Wear Simmons, Ph.D.Acting Interim Director

September 23, 2008

C A L I F O R N I A R E S E A R C H B U R E A U

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Presentation Outline

• Data about incarcerated parents and their children

• Focus on parental arrest

• Impact on children

• Local partnerships to ensure that children are safe and cared for by appropriate caregivers.

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Who is Responsible for the Safety and Well-being of the Children?

• Few law enforcement agencies require officers to ask about children at the time of parental arrest

• Social welfare agencies may not respond to a parent’s arrest, or know how to locate a parent in prison or arrange for a family visit.

• Children can fall through the cracks, be traumatized and left in unsafe situations.

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Children’s Stories

• Amanda: “My sister is 11. It (Mother’s arrest) affects her so much, she’s gone to mental hospitals, she’s tried to kill herself.”

• Dave: “I was 9 when my mom got arrested. The police came and took her…and just left us here.”

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Rising Incarceration Rate

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More Adults Under Correctional Supervision

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California Adult Prisoners, 2008

Parole 33%

Jail 22%

Prison 45%

Source: Ca.Dept. Corrections & Rehabilitation

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California State Prisons

• Cost: $9.7 billion for prisoners and parolees in Fiscal Year 2007-08

• Average sentence: 4 years

• Average time served: 2 years

• Average prisoner’s reading level: 7th grade

• 69% from So. Cal, 11% Bay Area, 20% rest of state.

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Most CA State Prisoners are Male

Female7%

Male93%

Source: Ca Dept. Corrections & Rehabilitation, 2008

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Prison/Jail is a Revolving Door

• Nearly 650,000 prisoners are released yearly from state and federal prisons

• Over 50% nationwide are in legal trouble within 3 years

• In CA, 2/3 of state prisoners fail parole and are returned to prison

• Children experience repeated trauma of arrest and separation

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Parental Problems Affect Children

Major Problems of Parents Incarcerated in State Prisons by Gender, 2004

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

SubstanceAbuse

MentalHealth

Homeless Phy/SexualAbuse

Incarcerated Mothers

Incarcerated Fathers

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Many Children Are AffectedParents in State & Federal Prisons &

Their Minor Children

Adult Prisoners

Minor Children

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

1991 1997 1999 2004 2007

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008

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• Around 9% of CA children have a parent in prison, jail, on parole or probation

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Minority Kids are Over-Represented

Ethnicity of Minor Children with Parents in State and Federal

Prison, 2007

White30%

Black48%

Hispanic22%

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008

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Children of Inmates Are Young

Age of Children with Incarcerated Parents

2%

20%

36%

28%

14%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Under 1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-17Years Old

Perc

en

t

Source: Urban Institute, 2003

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Parent and Grandparent Caregivers

Current Caregivers of Children with Parents in State Prison, 2004

84%

15%

6%3% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Other Parent Grandparent OtherRelatives

Foster Care Friends

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2008

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Contact Helps Parents and Children• 75% parents incarcerated in state prisons report

some contact with their children 70% have received a letter

• Over half received a phone call • 42% had a personal visit

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Parental Arrest Affects the Most Children

•  1 in 5 children

whose mother is

arrested witnesses

the event, the others

imagine

Arrest

Prison and Parole

Jail and Probation

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The Children Can Be “Invisible” When Parents are Arrested

• Law enforcement officers are focused on making a safe arrest, may leave the children unattended

• Arrested parents may not mention their children for fear of involving child welfare and having their parental rights terminated

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Children May be Left Without Care or in Unsafe Situations

• “Dave” I was nine when my mom got arrested. The police

came and took her…and just left us here. For two or three weeks, I took care of my one-year-old brother and myself…[My Mom’s] friend across the street…figured out something was wrong.. [and] called CPS…”

• Megan Mendez, left at age 3 with abusive neighbors in Modesto by her arrested mother, was murdered

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Children Experience Higher Rates of Mental Health Problems

• Separation and attachment disorders

• Developmental regression

• Depression and withdrawal

• Shame due to stigma

• Grief at loss of parent, abandonment

• Anxiety and hyper-arousal

• Trauma

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Significant Behavioral Impacts Absent Positive Intervention

• Physical aggression

• Attention disorder

• Difficulty sleeping

• Acting out inappropriately

• Anti-social behavior

• Violent, even delinquent behavior

• Substance abuse

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Potential Negative Impacts on School Performance

• Attention Deficit

• Learning Disabilities

• Diminished academic performance

• Aggression or withdrawal due to stigma

• Low level of educational attainment

• Truancy

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Intergeneration Problems Point to Need for Positive Intervention

• A parental history of criminality is a strong risk factor for juvenile delinquency

• Half of parents incarcerated in state prisons have an incarcerated relative (most often a brother or father)

• One third of parents in prison report that their parents abused drugs or alcohol

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Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Intervene in the same Families

• Nationally, the criminal justice system has intervened in at least 1 in 3 families with which child welfare agencies have had contact.

• 25% dependent children in San Francisco are impacted by parental incarceration

• Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Agencies Need to Partner for the Children

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Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights

• 1. I have the right TO BE KEPT SAFE AND INFORMED AT THE TIME OF MY PARENT’S ARREST.

• 3. I have the right TO BE WELL CARED FOR IN MY PARENT’S ABSENCE.

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