Fathers Behind Bars

Fathers Behind Bars By Austin Y. - Research Intern Crime not only has an effect on the general public but also the families of the offender. When an offender is incarcerated for long periods of time, it is tearing that individual's family apart. Everyone does not grow up with a complete family, some have their fathers ripped away from them while they are forced to grow up with just one parent. That parent then has to pick up the slack and is forced to pick up more jobs to make up for the lack of income leaving the children unsupervised for long periods of time. When the children are unsupervised they tend to make poor decisions to get the attention they are not getting because the their parent isn’t able to be home as much due to working multiple jobs just to get by. This perpetuates the cycle of crime, a cycle that Fathers Behind Bars hopes to break. “There are 2.7 million children with a parent in prison or jail.” That statistic is mind blowing as that is a great deal of …
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Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents: What I Needed

Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents What I Needed By Davis81 - Research Intern So this weeks blog entry has to deal with the listing of what children who have incarcerated parents may need.  Especially while dealing with something of this nature which could mess with your mental health and emotional health. I personally struggled with things regarding my mental and emotional health. When my mom went to prison and I moved with my father and step-mother I wasn’t really interested in doing things. I wanted to sit in the house all day and just keep to myself. My dad wanted me to get outside and make friends in the neighborhood since I was new in the area but I did not have any interest because I was still processing the fact that my mom was gone. I didn’t know when she would be coming back, and I was split from my brother and two sisters Personally, I think there were some things that I needed to know/ needed when my mom left but I did not know them. So…. Here they are: …
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The Perfect Reentry Plan

The Perfect Reentry Plan By Kelli R. - Research Intern Everyone needs a second chance at least once in a single lifetime. A second chance is effort amongst both parties ready to tackle the next steps together. Second chances require responsibility, accountability, and effort. Reentry to the real world after prison happens to be one of the most difficult parts of the whole process. It is time to make the reentry process a smooth transition back into the world. Throughout this writing assignment I will be discussing present issues as well as proposals for solutions inside the reentry program. The main things that will be discussed are housing after reentry, employment after reentry, substance abuse and recidivism, and other reentry risks that seem necessary to address. When discussing reentry plans it is important to review every angle and go with the best option for everyone especially the offender. Housing is one of the most difficult parts of the reentry process. Housin…
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Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents: The Beginning

Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents The Beginning By Davis81 - Research Intern Can you imagine being ten years old going from the life you knew to a new life without one of your parents? I can vividly remember walking from the bus stop with my younger sister and cousins to get home and see that my mother wasn't home… How awkward was it for something to just change up without any warning? That was the first experience that I could recall that made a significant impact on my life. I had to readjust in a different city, make new friends, and learn to be without my mother and siblings at ten years old. Some people may think that was an early age, but she’ll be alright, but the truth is some days I was okay, and other days I wouldn't be. When I found out my mom was going to prison, it hurt me to the core because my provider wasn't going to be there anymore. I eventually then moved in with my Aunt, but she could not take care of my mom’s four children, my teenage Aunt, and h…
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The Impact of Deportation on Family Members and Communities

The Impact of Deportation on Family Members and Communities By LaQuittis L. - Research Intern With the development of harsher immigration policies and restrictions, deportation over the past few decades has increased in the U.S. Additionally, prohibitive policies created by legislatures have encouraged antagonistic attitudes towards undocumented immigrants, which places families at higher risk of being separated (Lovato, 2019). Although there are set exemptions, policies under the Immigration and Nationality Act limits exemptions for parents of U.S. citizen children while relatives such as grandparents are ineligible. Many deported individuals are forced to return to dangerous, unstable environments from which they've tried to escape. Challenges such as loss of or limited communication have resulted in severed relationships with family members. The impact of separation involves economic hardship, housing instability, and food insecurity, which puts more pressure on the rema…
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Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents: Series Introduction

Growing Up with Incarcerated Parents Series Introduction By Davis81 - Research Intern I am sure we can all attest to “being on the outside looking in” to some degree. Well, I would like to take you all on a journey and share one of the most significant events I encountered as a child. I can count on my hands the number of people I have told the story about growing up with a parent who was incarcerated. I know it will be different, knowing that I will start writing about it and putting it out on the internet. With this series, I plan to talk about my experience with an incarcerated parent in all aspects. For instance, how it made me feel, what the cons were, what my life was like growing up without a parent, etc.  I want to travel back in time and paint an image for you. I want to talk about the beginning, middle, and end of growing up with an incarcerated parent. I plan to be as transparent as possible and share all that I can remember. I am honored to share this part of m…
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The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children

The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children By Briana J. - Research Intern The effects of incarceration are not just felt by the imprisoned individual. In many cases, there are people who remain “hidden” in the criminal justice system who are impacted by incarceration. These “hidden” individuals are usually families and children of the imprisoned person. By default, children with incarcerated parents inevitably become entangled in the world of incarceration. In many situations, these children have to deal with the consequences of their parent’s imprisonment with virtually no support in understanding their situation. Parental incarceration has tremendous consequences and effects on a child’s development and upbringing. The problems of the prison system bleed into the lives of those indirectly affected by this system. Children can face problems surrounding their physical, emotional, financial, and educational well-being (Umamaheswar 287).  This resulting separation be…
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School to Prison Pipeline

School to Prison Pipeline By Lindsay B. - Research Intern What is the School-to-Prison Pipeline? The school to prison pipeline is a term used to describe the trend in which students begin school but eventually end up in juvenile and criminal justice systems. The relationship between education and the court systems has led to disciplinary policies that often promote the criminalization of young students. When an education system employs harsh punishments for minor violations, this violent cycle is created.  Students are repeatedly over-punished by methods that do not effectively reform their behavior (e.g., in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension); this leads to repeat offenses, which can then lead them to a criminal offense. How is this process created? There are numerous aspects that contribute to this process. As an example, let’s consider suspension. When a student is suspended, they are not receiving an education, they are missing in-class work that cannot b…
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Reentry After Solitary Confinement

Reentry After Solitary Confinement By Connor H. - Research Intern While the transition for any offender is one that is full of challenges and barriers that they have to work through to be successful after being incarcerated, there is a group of inmates that have to deal with an entirely different set of challenges. This group is the offenders who have had to serve some portion of their time in solitary confinement. At any level of incarceration, solitary confinement is primarily used to punish disobedient inmates by housing them alone for 23 hours a day. There are two reasons why being in solitary confinement has a greater set of challenges than those who served time in general housing, the first is the mental effects solitary confinement has on a person the other is the deterioration of social skills. Both of these attributes are vital to an offender being successful after serving time and are greatly hindered when a person is isolated for extended amounts of time. …
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