Children with Parents in

Incarceration

incarcerated parents need a secure

attachment, care, their basic needs met and
more educational opportunities to prevent

The amount of children with parents in

them from becoming prisoners; more money

incarceration is estimated at about one

should be put into the education system

million and seven hundred thousand

instead of the incarceration.

(Bureau of Justice, 2010, p. 1). There are not

Developmental Delays and

many programs that help children with

parents in prison. Children are affected

Psychological Disorders of

negatively when their parent or parents are

Children with Parents in

incarcerated. It can affect a child if anyone

Incarceration

close to them becomes incarcerated.

Children who have parents that are
incarcerated often times have attachment
issues which leads to developmental delays
and psychological problems (Dr. Short K).
Attachment is the bond a child has with their
parent or caregiver. Some psychological
problems a child with a parent in prison
might have are depression, anxiety, bi-polar
or anger management issues. Children that
have parents in prison are more likely to
become a prisoner themselves. Children of

The definition of a child with an

incarcerated parent is child under the age of
eighteen with a parent in prison. Children
with incarcerated parents are more likely to
face hardships like psychological disorders
and developmental delays. Some
developmental delays would be the child
does not learn social cues well or the child
knows less vocabulary and has worse
attention skills. Social cues are what humans
use to tell someone through their body

language what they want. Children

on their parent. A secure

with incarcerated parents may not

attachment is presented in Figure 1.

understand these cues. A scowl or a

The infant and caregiver are touching

smile mean two completely different

in close proximity and are reaching

things but if a child was never

taught those social cues they

for each other. A child without a

Retrieved from www.snovalleycounseling.com

secure attachment develops a

would not know the difference. According to

disorganized and mistrustful attachment. A

OConnor Erin, et al, a child that does not have

disorganized attachment is when a child is

a secure attachment knows less vocabulary

fearful or unsure of the parent and their actions.

words (2010, p. 450.). Children with

Mistrustful attachment means that the child is

incarcerated parents are more likely to not have

not cared for and learns to feel helpless. As

a secure attachment. They know less

mentioned earlier research done by OConnor

vocabulary words because of the disorganized

Erin, et al, children who have insecure

attachment they receive.

attachment show signs when they are three to

Children with Incarcerated

Parents and Attachment

five years of age. This author looked at children

at the age of three with disorganized
attachment. He saw that children with

When a child has an incarcerated parent

they are more likely to not receive a secure
attachment and become a prisoner themself.
According to Cassidy Jude, et al, mothers who
are in prison are putting their children at risk of
having an insecure attachment (2010, p. 333). A
secure attachment is when the child feels
comforted by their parent and can depend

disorganized attachments knew less vocabulary

words and were more disruptive in class (2011,
p. 450). In this study done by Cassidy Jude, et
al, women were provided with parenting classes
while they were pregnant and in incarceration.
They were allowed to keep their infants until
the infant was six months of age. Most infants
grew a secure attachment to their mother in that

time period. fourteen out of twenty infants had

they need to feed themselves daily. According

a secure attachment to their mother when the

to youth.gov they are more likely to face

study ended (2010, p. 334). It is incredibly

financial troubles at a young age. A child living

important for children to keep in contact with

in poverty might not be able to buy new

their incarcerated parent. Staying in contact

clothes. They might wear hammy-downs, they

with the parent has been proven to help both the

may not be as clean as other children. They

parent and child (Bell, Linda G, and Connie S.

may not have food to feed themselves regularly

Cornwell, 2015, p. 45). The child

as well. When a child has an

may have grown up only knowing

incarcerated parent the other parent

their parent; so, when that person

must take on the role of the sole

that they have an attachment with

provider for the family. If the

is taken away it is traumatizing for

parent is gone all the time working

the child. According to Dr. Short

Kathrine, A child who receives a

the child will not receive the

Figure 2. Children in Poverty.
Retrieved from www.progressivecharlestown.com

secure and trusting attachment is

attention they need. If the parent

is not producing an income the

less likely to end up in prison. The infant learns

family could be struggling to feed themselves.

how to trust through a secure attachment. Other

The situation is not ideal in any way. If the

virtues like resiliency are also shown in

parent does not provide time with their child

children with secure attachments. By caring for

that child will not gain the attachment they need

infants of prisoners and letting them receive a

to develop properly. According to Gottschalk,

secure attachment America can reduce the

Marie, an increase in funds for incarceration

incarceration rate.

will lead to an increase in prisoners (2009, p.

Many children with a parent in

97). That means that when money is placed in

prison are subjected to living in poverty. Like

the incarcerated budget it will get spent. As

in Figure 2. children might be lacking the food

long as money is provided for incarceration

there will be incarceration. When the budget

special class or treatment for children with

decreases America will have no choice but to

incarcerated parents. Leeson Caroline, and Julia

lessen incarceration rates because there will be

Morgan discuss how to help children with

no room for mass incarceration. A family in

incarcerated parents by providing extra care.

poverty could live off of forty two thousand

Children with parents or a parent in prison

dollars yearly. In 2012 the government spent

experience educational difficulties and need

on estimate twelve thousand dollars towards

more attention. These children struggle more in

each student in public education (National

academics and social behaviors. Children with

Center For Education Statistics, 2012). That is

parents in prison are more likely perform worse

three times less than what America spends on

academically. Children struggle socially

inmates.

because they do not understand social norms

Children with Incarcerated

Parents are being overlooked

and customs. Another thing that can help is

making sure the childs basic needs are being
met (2014, p. 148). A child could have a hard
time focusing because their parent is struggling

Children with incarcerated parents are

often overlooked in the school system. With
one in every twenty eight children having a
parent in prison (Kaplan Early Learning)
education
should be
The amount of money spent on
incarcerating an inmate is forty
two thousand dollars yearly.
(Legislative Analyst's Office, 2008).

providing for
these
children.
There is no

financially and cannot afford to feed the family.

Osborne Association says, each child is
different and one specific program will not be
able to help all children with an incarcerated
parent. According to Leeson Caroline, Julia
Morgan and Rebecca Carter Dillon it talks
about ways a teacher can help a child with
incarcerated parents. Teachers can help these
children by understanding the child comes from
a diverse background and may need more care.

The article also mentions the school needs to be

According to Kaplan Early Learning

flexible so the child can see their

children with incarcerated

incarcerated parent (2013, p. 200).

parents have a higher risk of

unemployment and have a
higher chance of becoming
incarcerated themselves.
Figure 3. Incarcerated Youth.
Retrieved from al-talib.org

Zagar, Robert John, William

M. Grove, and Kenneth G.
Busch, say, by providing more
opportunities for teenagers and

children America is keeping them out of trouble

(2013, p. 384). Children and teenagers who are
busy in woodshop, theater, band, art, and many
other extracurricular activities do not have time
to get in trouble. When a child is focused on
learning something they enjoy they think less
about doing bad things. Children when they are
or without friends can easily get involved in the
wrong crowd. Gangs are looking for middle
school and high school age boys to become a
part of them. Teenagers are getting involved in
gangs at a young age and ending up in prison
because of it. Sometimes a teenager may fall
into the wrong crowd because the wrong
crowds can be the most welcoming. Instead of

allowing prisons to be so full America needs to

Children need a secure attachment to

stop allowing children to become prisoners.

develop properly. Some may say that the child

According to Zagar, Robert John, William M.

can receive a secure attachment through a love

Grove, and Kenneth G. Busch, the prison rates

interest or a foster parent. Children can receive

for teenagers and minors are increasing (2013,

a secure attachment from anyone who shows

p. 381). Children who are underage should not

they are dependable. A child could have a

be going to jail. Children who are underage

secure attachment to their teacher. When the

should be getting their license, hanging out

end of the year comes the child might feel lost

with friends, playing sports, or in

not having that same teacher again. As stated

extracurricular activities. Children who are

earlier by Osborne Association each child is

underage should not be

different and one specific program will not

getting into drugs or

help all children with

gangs. Children under

incarcerated parents. They are

age need to stay

right each childs

children under age. If

circumstance is different, so,

children are to stay that

each child needs help in

way they need a caring

adult looking after
them. Children with
incarcerated parents do

This figure demonstrates youth

standing up for what they believe in.
They became passionate about a
subject and are striving to make a
difference.
Figure 4. Education not Incarceration. Retrieved
from progressillinois.com

not have that caring adult looking out for them.

How to Help Children with

Incarcerated Parents

different ways. One child may

need to see their parent while
other child may struggle when
they see their incarcerated

parent. A child could need help with basic

needs such as food while another child did not
receive the proper love they needed from a
parent. Some children could use opportunities
like extracurricular activities and other

teenagers may need job opportunities to keep

against releasing incarcerated parents is that

them out of trouble. Each childs circumstance

America is putting bad people back on the

is different and needs to evaluated and

streets. They are often alcoholics and drug

addressed differently. Many problems children

addicts. When someone gets released from

with incarcerated parents have is a lack of basic

prison they are under closer surveillance than

needs. When the parents are present they are

someone who has not been in incarceration. If

able to help their child get those needs met.

they do something bad they do not have three

Parents are also able to encourage their child to

strikes they already have a record and will go

continue their education which will teach them

back to prison. Going back to prison means that

many skills needed for the work environment.

the parent will continue to be a burden upon the

The parent can also gain a secure attachment

family. By allowing parents in prison to be

with their child making sure that their child

released earlier America is allowing these

develops properly. Reducing the amount of

parents to have redemption. They are able to

time an incarcerated parent spends in jail will

receive a job, create a source of income, and

also reduce the amount of money that needs to

support their family once again. Allowing a

be spent on incarceration. If only half of the

parent to be released early will cut the budget

parents who are incarcerated were to be

needed for incarceration and can be put towards

released early that is still tens of billions of

education. When children and teenagers are

dollars that Americans would not have to pay

provided with support and opportunities to

each year. Americans pay too much for

thrive they achieve those goals and continue

incarceration and not enough towards

further. If America defunds incarceration and

education. By decreasing the funds towards

begins funding education systems America will

incarceration and increasing funds towards

be setting up a better future for the generations

education America can prevent incarceration

to come. If a person has a high school diploma

from happening. One of the biggest arguments

they are more likely to receive a job or go to

college. Someone with a high school diploma

them. Children with parents in incarceration

has purpose. A person may be considered for a

may not have anyone to care for them. They

raise, or may not struggle financially because of

may be fed or they may have shelter but

a job. School can also provide patience

(Lance Lochner, Enrico Moretti, 2004, p. 3).
A child that is able to make it through and
receive a high school diploma is more likely
to receive a job. Children who receive a

Theres an estimate of 810,000 prisoners are

parents (Bureau of Justice). If each
incarcerated inmate costs about $42,000
yearly (Legislative Analysts Office) that is
$34,020,000,000 America spends yearly on
incarcerating parents.

better education and make it through the

educational system are more likely to become
working and well-functioning citizens in this
society.

Biblical Aspect on Children

without love children cannot form an

attachment and do not develop typically. By
caring for those in need Christians can make an
impact on the lives of children. By changing the
amount of time parents spend in jail the

with Incarcerated Parents

government can help children as well. With so

many different factors affecting children with

The Bible says in Matthew 25:31-46

incarcerated parents Christians need to make

that when people feed the hungry, give them

their hearts and homes open to these children.

drink, see them strange, or clothe them when

Children of incarcerated parents struggle with

they are naked they are doing the same to Jesus.

psychological illnesses because of the traumatic

When the hungry are fed God is fed. When

events they have been through. Children should

people take care of those who are in need they

not be too stressed to learn, they should be well

are taking care of Gods people. Children are

cared for and happy to see a new day.

weak and incapable of providing for

Christians need to realize there is a problem and

themselves. They need someone to care for

it has to do with Gods children.

<https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.as
p?id=66>.
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