From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration on Children, Families and Communities. Conference Report, January 2002

摘要

An increasing number of children and families in our society are affected by the incarceration of a parent or family member. Relatively little is known about how the incarceration of parents affects the health and well being of children and families, and about the specific service needs of the children and families of inmates. Yet, the circumstances for these families may pose specific challenges for delivering and accessing services. The importance of this issue for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policies and programs is directly related to the growing numbers of families and children that are affected by the high rates of incarceration. Individuals under correctional supervision and their families are likely to be eligible for or served by HHS-funded programs. For example, some are current or former welfare recipients. The inmate or his/her family may receive health care coverage through the Medicaid or the State Child Health Insurance Program, get health care through primary health care centers and maternal and child health care clinics, and receive mental health and substance abuse treatment in programs funded with state block grant funds. Families with incarcerated parents constitute part of state child support enforcement system caseloads. Some children, especially when the incarcerated parent is a single parent, may be placed in state-financed relative care or the foster care system as a result of the incarceration. Yet having a parent or other close family member incarcerated or under criminal justice supervision usually is not identified as a factor that places children at risk for family disruption, poverty and negative outcomes.