Communications is Key
Many corrections systems do not facilitate safe contact and communication between parents and their children during incarceration and many do not recognize the co-parenting role.
1.7 million children have a parent who is incarcerated and many of them are being cared for by relatives. Yet our understanding of these arrangements is limited. This report provides an overview of the issue, including what the current research tells us, what we need to know, and what we can do to develop more effective and compassionate social policies and programs for these children.
Many corrections systems do not facilitate safe contact and communication between parents and their children during incarceration and many do not recognize the co-parenting role.
Both corrections and child welfare systems can do more to facilitate safe contact and communication between parents and their children, to support relatives who step in to provide care, and to facilitate reunification upon re-entry from prison.
Our understanding of the care arrangements for children whose parents are incarcerated and living with kin are limited. Similarly, the process of co-parenting is a complex one for relative caregivers and parents.
We hope you'll find value in this report. We’d love to get a little information from you, which we'll use to notify you about relevant new resources.
