| Parental
incarceration can lead to negative impacts on children.
What are the
negative impacts on children?
Separation
from parents by prison can be devastating to children, resulting
in feelings of abandonment, sadness, and anger, and can lead to
eating and sleeping disorders, lower academic performance, and
disruptive behavior. In middle childhood (ages 7-10),
parental arrest and incarceration may have major impacts on social
adjustment: many children in this age group develop aggressive
behaviors and difficulty getting along with others, particularly
in school. Early adolescent (ages 11-14) children of prisoners
have typically had multiple experiences with parental crime,
arrest, and incarceration. While some are able to overcome the
absence of a parent by developing stable, productive patterns,
many children of prisoners display maladaptive behavioral patterns
and reject limitations on their behavior. Late adolescence is the
period over which children develop a cohesive identity, the
ability to engage in adult work and relationships, and the
capacity to become independent and self-sufficient. In summary,
parental incarceration and related enduring trauma, separation,
and inadequate care interfere with child development, resulting in
negative long-term outcomes, including intergenerational
incarceration. More...
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