In the world today, imprisonment rate has gone up. Anyone can be imprisoned no matter the age or gender. The principal reason for a prison sentence is to punish the offender. Rather than being a punishment, imprisonment can be of decisive impact once the prisoner has practical, financial, social, and emotional support. Before, the families of the prisoners were called "invisible" or "hidden" punishment victims of crime as the hardship lifestyle they experienced was not immediately obvious. The prisoners' families are termed as "innocent victims," more so their children (Taylor, Andrew, Hannah, and Tony 7). The impacts of imprisonment on the families of the prisoners are called the “collateral or ripple effects of imprisonment.” In our society today, imprisonment impacts on prisoners and their families is a matter of minimal or no importance. In prisons and jails, some parents are serving imprisonment terms due to the crimes they committed (Taylor et al., 14). Children of these parents undergo hardship and development risks.
For one to face imprisonment, he or she must have committed a specific crime, either to someone, to a firm, or to a state. Offenses have to be punished depending on their weights. Some offenses can lead to even life imprisonment or death sentence. Children whose parents are in jail pass through difficulties in their education life, social life, economic life, and psychological life. This paper will discuss the impacts of parent imprisonment to their children.
Economic Well-Being
In many states today, more than half of fathers in prison are the primary breadwinner in their families. Thus, the spouses and children of these men mostly experience a loss of economic resources during the time the provider is in jail. The impact will mostly continue even after the father is out of prison due to unemployment and incarceration. If the mother is the breadwinner of the family, it will also mean that the children and the father will undergo an economic struggle during the period of imprisonment. The high increased rate of financial stress among the children who are affected by incarceration is due to several factors. Among them is having an extra expense such as traveling cost to try and keep their relationship with their incarcerated parents (Gabrielsen, 8673). Research shows that the families whose parents have a history of incarceration are exposed to economic insecurity and hardship. It results in the more excellent use of public assistance among their children. It will be hard for a child to be a breadwinner of him or herself, more so when the child is in school.
Social Well-Being
In open interviews, there have been adverse outcomes reported for children whose parents are in prison. Imprisoned parents believe that their children are exposed to hardships and stigmatization by the community, which is right. In school, these students perform poorly and have difficulties in school following their parent's incarceration. These children behaviors change as some become more private, not sharing their minds. Some stop listening to adults, become irritable, and others show signs of behavioral regression. Children's emotional or mental health, according to some studies, may change as children experience feelings such as shame or embarrassment about their parent's imprisonment. They also get an emotional strain with the belief that their parents did not want to live with them at home. It results in a loss of trust in the parent, depression, or even guilt. Most of these children are in solitude life, staying by them always (Bloom, Barbara, and Susan, 70). Despite this negative impact on the children's social life, sometimes the imprisonment can be of benefit to the children. If a parent had severe substance addiction or has violent behavior at home, his or her detention may make the children happier. Incarceration can lead to a parent's behavior change positively after receiving guidance for his or her problems and have a chance to communicate more with the child. In cases like these, when a parent is out from prison, it may lead to a stressful life to the kid more so if the parent did not change the behaviors.
Psychological impacts
Some prisons allow visitation of their parents by the children. These children who have contact with their incarcerated parents have implications for developmental issues such as secure attachments and relationships. Communications with the inmate can stress the parent who is in prison. Children whose parents are in jail undergo mental torture. According to research, the relationship between the child and the parent reflected the interrogational transmission of mental health problems. The psychological problem is experienced by both the prisoners and the affected children. The link between parental imprisonment and the mental health problems of the children might reflect the “impacts of parental illness on children” (Hairston, 163-4). If a child sees his or her parent is stressed, then the child may also develop the illness. Some studies report that there is a mental connection between hereditary disease and anxiety, and the children of the depressed parents have a high chance of developing significant depressions themselves as compared to non-depressed parents. It shows that children whose parents are in prison are at high risk of developing mental health issues reason being there is a room for genetic hazard for children.
Consequences of Drugs and Alcohol Abuse, Education, and Employment
According to Taylor et al. (14), the association between parental imprisonments has adverse outcomes for children. Children whose parents are in prison are exposed to habits like alcohol and substance abuse, school dropout, and lack of employment. Once the parent is in jail, the child has all the freedom to do what he or she feels. The child is exposed to peer pressure, with no one to guide him or her. The child introduces him or herself to drugs and other substances use. Bad company is also a threat which the child may be exposed to. When a child enters a lousy company, there is a high chance of the community surrounding him or her to abandon him. It will lead to hate of the child. Children who are exposed to drugs and evil companies, mostly, do not continue with their education. If the child is in school, then his or her performance will be miserable. They value their impoverished lives more than education. Lack of knowledge will mean that the child does not have a chance to go to the outside market and look for a job. All this is due to the imprisonment of their caregivers as they do not have support.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper has reviewed the literature on the impacts of parental imprisonment for the children. It is clear that a parent's incarceration has more negative consequences than positive effects on the life of a child. Countries and states can avoid these negative consequences through the introduction of new ways of handling the affected children. Introduction of firms that will care for such children will benefit the development of the child. Those children who are affected psychologically will be able to get advice and feel that they are not abandoned. These children also will be able to continue their education just like the other children.
Work’s Cited
Bloom, Barbara, and Susan Phillips. "In whose best interest? The impact of changing public policy on relatives caring for children with incarcerated parents." Children with Parents in Prison. Routledge, 2017. 63-74.
Gabrielsen, Paul. "Profile of Bruce Western." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114.33 (2017): 8672-8674.
Hairston, Creaste Finney. "CLOSING THOUGHTS: The Forgotten Parent: Understanding the Forces that Influence Incarcerated Fathers’ Relationships 8 with Their Children." Children with parents in prison. Routledge, 2017. 149-171.
Taylor, Andrew, Hannah Payer, and Tony Barnes. "The missing mobile: impacts from the incarceration of Indigenous Australians from remote communities." Applied Mobilities (2017): 1-18.
